


Had Anyone...

by Kami_no_Namida



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drama, M/M, Mpreg, Multiple Points of View, Romance, Slash, Some decription of violence, but IDK if it deserves a proper warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-25
Updated: 2014-01-25
Packaged: 2018-01-10 00:58:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1152907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kami_no_Namida/pseuds/Kami_no_Namida
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been almost seven years, six years and nine months to be precise... So long since the night Harry spent with the only one he ever loved... to be rejected right after. He however did not regret it much. It brought him his beautiful boy after all... What however happens when the boy gets lost...? And runs into his father? In what form will the past resurface?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Boy and His Lonely Mother

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling does... I only own the OC(s), so far only Cygnus (^^) [That means swan]
> 
> Ok, so..   
> This is my first HP fic from ff.net (as well as my fist HP fic ever) which I am posting here. (There are other ones, those will come soon also ;))  
> I started this fic as a birthday gift to myself~ (I was finally eligible to use magic at home, yay (0v0)/)  
> I'm keeping the basic line up to 4th book, then, though the basic is the same, I'll play with the content a bit (^.^)  
> Hopefully you'll like (^^)/  
> See ya~ ( "-.-)/

(Harry's POV)

_'Had anyone killed me right now, I would have died a happy man.'_

_That's what I thought back then_ _… that one night of all… It was how I sincerely felt._

_Little did I know at that moment what would the morning be like…_

…

(Third Person's POV)

"Are you ready to sleep, sweetheart?" asked a bright-eyed man, who was tucking a blonde boy, who had the same eyes as him, to bed.

"Yes mummy." said the boy as he clutched his teddy bear to his chest.

"It's your big day tomorrow." smiled the man to the boy. "It's not your birthday everyday."

"Yes! I'm going to be six already!" squealed the child excitedly.

"But now go to sleep Cygni, okay? We don't want you asleep while standing in the Diagon Alley like the last year."

"That was just once…" mumbled the Cygnus his cheeks tinted with pink, then however he was as lively as before again. "Will you tell me a story?"

"And what story would you like me to tell you this time?" asked the man, smiling gently at the child.

There seemed to be hesitation in the green eyes of the child. "But I don't want to hear a fairytale tonight… Will you not be angry with me?"

"And should I…? What do you want me to tell you about?"

"I… I want you to tell me about daddy." whispered the child into the fur of the bear, waiting to be… What did he wait to be? Punished? Yelled at? Harry was sad seeing that his own son was obviously scared that he'd hurt him.

"I'm not angry…" he sighed. "Besides, you have the right to know… I guess it's about the time for you to know…" Harry said, convincing himself that it was a good idea. The reasoning worked in the end.

…

(Harry's POV)

"You know, Cygni, had anyone told me that I'd fall in love with your father of all people, I would have called them crazy at first."

"So you did not like daddy when you two met?"

"Not really, but I think that the attraction was there from the very first moment."

"How is that possible?" asked Cygnus, he simply could not place the two feelings together.

"I've learnt to love him over time. He was pretty mean to me and my friends, as I refused his offer of friendship the first day in school. That however did not change that we were always aware of each other… or that I was always searching for him in the crowd, following him with my eyes." I smiled at Cygnus caressing his cheek gently. Then my mind returned back to the matter and I felt my complexion harden.

"But your father he… he did not love me back." I could only whisper sadly. It was hard for me to admit to him that he was not created out of love… of both parties concerned. I however also knew that it would be better to tell Cygnus now. Just in case the fate decided to be a bitch and we ran into Dra-…  _Malfoy_  somewhere, especially now, that he has returned to London – according to Daily Prophet… I did not want my little boy to be disappointed later.

As I was lost in my dark thoughts I did not realize how my mind affected my appearance and how a grim expression over took my features.

It however did not go by Cygnus' attention and soon he seemed to be regretting that he brought the topic up.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to…" he mumbled, pushing his own hope for the complete story aside.

I could however see how he longed to hear it and so I only shook my head. "You have the right to know, Swan." I repeated, then continued digging deeper into the painful memories of the events which were long gone.

"I began to grow out of the hate for your father after our fourth year at school. I was feeling quite lost at that moment and so was he. His own father started to push him into things he obviously did not want to do. He still hated me back then, but I was starting to feel drawn to him. He still scowled at me from time to time, however I learned that sometimes not replying had better effect. And so he stopped. He pretty much ceased to call me names after that. And then…"

"What happened?"

"One day I saw him smile." I said as I petted the child's unruly blonde hair. "That was when I realized that I fell in love with him. It was not like I did not see him smile before, but that one day has had its magic for me. Because that day, he smiled at _me_ , something he has never done until then… Your daddy has the most beautiful smile I've ever seen… I wish I could see it again."

I could not help the pain that escaped my lips in a form of a whisper. I could see how Cygnus seemed to be battling himself to stop asking, but the childish curiosity got the better of him in the end.

"Daddy is the blonde man on the photo you always look at?"

'I knew I should have hidden it, not look at it, but what's done is done.' I only berated at myself, then sighed and continued.

"Yes, that's your father… That's Draco Malfoy."

"Malfoy? The most insufferable git ever?" he asked, only to yelp and hide his face in the fluffy head of his bear second after.

Even as depressed as I was, I could only laugh at the sight.

"Yeah, that would him, where did you hear it though?"

"From you…" he mumbled, still not looking up, "You said it when Uncle 'Moony was over."

"That sounds like something I'd say when speaking to Remus." I smiled then sat closer to Cygnus, leaning against the headboard. "That however does not mean you can call him that, okay?" I said, turning to my son, who nodded. Only when I saw that, did I continue.

"In the sixth year he started spying for our side. He even somehow evaded getting the Dark Mark – remember how I told you the story about the bad Snake-man?" I asked, stopping with the explanation for a bit. Seeing the faint recognition in Cygnus' eyes, I continued, skipping the part about Snape killing Dumbledore in Dra-…  _Malfoy's_ place.

"Then went the last year and the final battle… It was after the final battle that  _you_  came to be." I did not want to dig into it. It would be too much of pain that would be brought to re-live. Cygnus did not need to know that his "mother" was tossed away once his father apparently got what he wanted.

"Let's stop talking about this…" I sighed in the end. When however I turned my eyes to my son I saw that it was not even needed for that to be said. Cygnus' eyes started dropping already and the boy seemed to be about to fall asleep any second. He however did not seem to want to stop this yet.

"Do you still love daddy?" asked Cygnus sleepily as his body curled around his stuffed bear even tighter.

"Don't you know that already, Swan?"

"You do then?" continued the boy, slurring the words together. He fell asleep seconds later.

I watched the sleeping child with love, pulling a blanket he managed to kick off, back over him and his teddy bear.

"I do sweetheart." I only whispered, placing a kiss on my boy's forehead then walking out of the room to go to my own bed, whispering into the silence of the hall.

"I  _so_  very do."


	2. The Dream That Hurts Unlike Any Other

(Harry's POV)

_Had anyone told me that dreams are the reflections of our desires that once, I would have killed them on a spot._

…

(Third Person's POV)

How bad can reliving one's past be?

For some it could be just unpleasant… for Harry however reliving the past meant pure torture, especially reliving of the one night that changed his life so thoroughly… and of the morning after.

It's always hunted him in dreams, driving him insane… and the eve of his son's birthday was no different.

…

' _ **Not again…'**_ _was all Harry thought as he saw himself in ruined Hogwarts. He however did not have time to think too much about it, as he blended into_ _his past self, only being an observer._

_He was standing in the Great Hall, looking at the bodies of the fallen. It made sadness well up inside him, yet he was relieved also, knowing that no one of those close to him was there._

" _Not even him…" he mumbled for himself as he looked around not seeing the shock of blonde hair anywhere… until it appeared right next to him when he stepped into one of the corridors._

" _Malfoy… You survived also?" he asked, attempting a nonchalance, but doing a happy dance on the inside. He was grateful that it did not show in his voice much. He did not see the boy since the time he saved him from the Fiendfyre few hours prior._

" _Thanks to you also… I guess." came a muttered reply only, as the two slowly began to walk through the ruined castle._

" _One would think we'd never see it here whilst ruined like this…" Harry sighed as they walked side by side. As they did so, almost not talking the whole way, they somehow ended up before the Headmaster's office._

_Harry did not know why but somehow the ruined gargoyle made him think of all those who died because of the war, because of **him** **,**  he always begrudgingly said… and these thoughts brought tears to his eyes… and it_ _was when the tears turned to full-blown crying that he felt arms wrap around him._

" _Shush…" he heard the soft voice he came to love near his ear. It however had the opposite of the desired effect._

_Draco had tried to calm Harry down for what seemed like forever, however the tears did not seem to want to stop. They only did when the blonde started humming a random song absent-mindedly to the raven._

_Suddenly, as Harry's eyes met Draco's, someth_ _ing in the air changed. The atmosphere was different and – **ironically**  – as if in a_ _dream the Gryffindor felt how his lips met those of the Slytherin prince in a gentle brush._

_Then again… and again and soon the gentle kisses turned into intense, searing ones as the blonde's hands started to roam up and down Harry's body and under his clothes, tearing at them._

_When Harry felt the sudden pull at his navel he was not even surprised. As much as he hated apparating he could care less about it at that moment, especially given that he ended up sprawled on the bed only second after the apparation._

_Only secondarily did he see the Slytherin green of the sheets._

_Only vaguely did he realize that the apparation was only possible because the wards of Hogwarts were destroyed thus inactive for the moment._

_He was concentrating all of his being on the blonde before him as he let himself be slowly undressed, returning the favour also, the lips of the two almost never parting._

_He was painfully aware of the heat that was gathering in his core._

_"Beautiful…"_

_That one softly spoken word which escaped the Ice Prince's mouth made him lose the shyness and he soon participated in the kisses and the touches as much as the other boy._

" _Eager, aren't you?" Draco smirked. It however was in a teasing manner only._

" _You have no idea Malfoy…" Harry breathed out as his last piece of clothing, briefs, was shed._

" _Draco…" the owner of the name said in between the kisses as he towered over Harry._

" _What?"_

" _My name… use it."_

_Harry felt as if he died and woke up in heaven. The darkness of the room, which was lightened by a single candle's light however, proved him wrong and so he only revelled in the feeling of his beloved's name falling off his lips._

" _Draco…" he said, cautiously. Then seeing the positive reaction – read "a softly bitten ear" – he was encouraged. He whispered the name over and over, looking at the Adonis above him as the blonde licked his own fingers sensuously._

" _Draco… Draco… Dra- ah…" Harry was cut off as Draco took to explore more of his body. Namely when finger started teasing him at his most intimate place._

_It soon was not only one finger, but two, then three… scissoring, stretching, swirling inside his body… Harry could only writhe in pleasure as the, at first painful, movements soon brought him an utter bliss._

" _You ready?" Draco asked in a voice which reeked of lust as he lined himself with Harry's entrance, running his palms down the raven's pleasant-to-the-touch muscled form._

" _Yeah…" Harry only moaned out as one of the hands stopped at his nipple and started tweaking it, only to continue roaming seconds after._

" _If you think so…" the Slytherin chuckled as he gripped Harry's hips, then started pushing into the delicious body under him at a slow pace, only stopping once he was fully sheathed._

_Both boys could not stop the moan that escaped their lips at the connection. It was as if they were finally on the way of passing that one last step from becoming one._

_That border between the two however was soon almost not to be found as the blonde started rocking into the body underneath him._

_It was such a beautiful feeling that Harry started crying. As the tears escaped his eyes however they were soon kissed away in a gentle manner by the blonde._

" _I love you…" Harry whispered in between the tears, not able to contain his "secret" given the sheer emotions roaming through his body._

_As a response Draco smiled, albeit the shock was seen a bit through the expression. He however then continued in loving Harry thoroughly…_

_The night was far from over._

As was the dream…

…

_**'Let it stop now…'** _

_The light of new day._

_**'I don't want to see more…'** _

_The empty bed._

_**'Why can't I be left believing that there was some "after"?'** _

_Harry showered himself quickly, then clothed himself and ran out of the room._

_**'Why did it go like that?'** _

_He was almost shocked when he ran into a group of four Slytherins just when he left their common room._

_**'Why wasn't he alone?'** _

" _What are you doing here, Potter?" asked Blaise Zabini as he measured Harry from head to toes. If not for seeing him hex a Death Eater Harry would not believe he changed sides from the tone of that one sentence._

_Harry ignored the boy and turned to the Slytherin prince._

" _Draco I…"_

" _Who gave you a permission to use his name!?" other of the Slytherins, one Pansy Parkinson all but screeched, cutting Harry off._

_**'It hurts…'** _

_Harry looked at her for only a second, then returned to_ _the blonde… What he saw in these eyes however confused him._

" _That's right Potter, when did I give you permission to use my name?"_

_**'It so very hurts…'** _

_Harry only looked at the blonde in astonishment. He was so shocked that he missed the confused undertone of the words… One that actually asked for an answer._

" _I…"_

_Harry felt tears gather at the corners of his eyes, he however did not want to let the Slytherins have the pleasure of seeing him cry… and so he pushed the feeling off for a moment._

" _I just wanted to give you this back." he choked out, digging a wand made of hawthorn out of his pocket, handing it to Draco. "I did not get to return it to you y-…" he stopped himself, shaking his head. "It did me good, it's time to return it to its master…" he whispered, the need to cry becoming overwhelming._

" _Goodbye…"_

_That was the last word said before the raven ran out of the corridor._

_That was the last word either of the Slytherins has heard from him on the grounds of Hogwarts._

_**'Goodbye…'** _

It however was not how the dream ended… it was not how _that day_  has ended, at least not for Harry.

_Harry ran through the school of Hogwarts, tears streaming down his face._

_He may have been considered lucky that the one he run into was Remus Lupin._

" _Harry, cub, what happened?" the ex-teacher asked confused. He returned to Hogwarts, hoping to find Harry there, as he could not find him the day before, but being run into like this was not what he expected._

" _Remy…" Harry sobbed, throwing himself into the arms of the werewolf._

_It was not too much later that the boy passed out in his friend's arms._

…and the dream finally ended.

…

Harry woke up crying… as he always did when dreaming of the past.

He buried his face in his palms and cried hard… that was how his son found him.

"Mummy you promised you'd wake m-…" came the little boy into the room, only then noticing the state his mother was in. He crawled into the bed next to the raven, trying to pry his mother's hands away from his face.

"Mummy…" the little boy whispered as he was pulled into long arms.

"Swan… I love you so much… If not for you I would have gone crazy." Harry whispered into the blonde hair of his child… the hair of the same shade as the ones he loved so much on the boy's father.

He then continued crying silently.

…

"I'm sorry." Harry apologized once he calmed down… that was a good hour after he woke up.

"Happy Birthday." he then smiled at the boy, who smiled at his mother.

"Do I get a Birthday breakfast?" Cygnus asked quietly. It was not the first time he had to calm his mother down after a morning breakdown… After that he was always a bit wary about what he did and said around the man.

"Of course you do… You're six today, you're my big boy." Harry smiled as he tickled the boy, pushing all the sad feelings aside for the sake of his child.

"And big boy gets  _big_  Birthday breakfast."

It took only one "Yipee…" and a sound of footsteps of small feet and the boy was gone.

…

"Mummy, mummy can we go now?" asked Cygnus when he ate his breakfast with a speed of light.

"Just a moment…" Harry exclaimed back from the bathroom. He looked into the mirror, frowning, then he silently mouthed the words that weighed on his mind heavily.

"Six years, eight months, twenty-nine da-… no!" he quickly berated at himself. "It's no use dwelling on numbers…" he sighed.

It was then, as every birthday of his son, that he wondered what would the Head of the Malfoy line do if he knew about his child. His sweet, _sweet_  little boy.

These thoughts however were soon cut off as the boy in question stormed into the room.

"Mummy!" he exclaimed as he thrown himself into Harry's arms once the raven turned around.

"Can we go now? You promised you'd buy me a gift! I won't have time to choose if we stay here so long." the little blonde pouted.

"Of course, sweetheart." smiled Harry as he put the child back on his own feet. "We can go now."

'I think I'm ready now.' Harry added silently to himself.

Soon after the mother and son stepped out of the house, needing to walk out of wards to be able to apparate to the Diagon Alley

…

Elsewhere, in the Malfoy Manor namely, a blonde man also prepared to go to the wizard's most frequented shopping alley.

He stopped himself, however, when he caught a glimpse of door which were opened slightly.

'Some House Elf must have forgotten to close them after cleaning…' he reasoned as he went closer. On a sudden whim he however looked inside and saw… a corridor.

'Where does this one lead to?' the man asked himself as he curiosity got the better of him and he stepped inside. He was soon faced with a room which held the tapestry of the Malfoy family… or at least he knew it was that, it had to be activated with magic to be seen.

As if on impulse the young head of the family reached out to the wall, sending a gentle flash of his magic through it and the names and portraits started to appear.

It was fast at first, however as the wizards and witches were from an age closer and closer to the present the speed slowed down rapidly.

The pale hand brushed gently the faces of his parents as he tried not to look at the black crosses by their names.

Then he saw his own name appear… linked with another person.

He stared at the tapestry for a second, recognizing swirling line as the one of Soul bond. It would have been hard to know who the other person was, given that their name did not appear, if not for the colour of that line.

"Harry…" he whispered, the pain and regret filling his voice.

Emerald.

That was the colour which was on the tapestry, the colour which has hunted the blonde for what felt like more like seventy than _"only"_  almost seven years.

Draco could not look at the tapestry any longer and walked out of the room quickly as he decided to go back to his previous plan.

As he left in a haste however he failed to notice yet another line which appeared on the tapestry, only to disappear seconds after.

The line which went from the one of Soul bond… to his only child.

…

(Harry's POV)

"Harry!"

I heard my name being called and turned around. I felt a smile tug at my lips as I saw a head of violet-coloured hair approaching.

"Hi, Tonks." I smiled as once the woman was close enough to hear it. I thought it strange for her to be called by her maiden name once married, but I decided to let it go. If it did not matter to Moony, who was I to ask?

"Hello Cygnus, it has been some time since I've seen you last." she then smiled at the little blonde holding my hand who smiled brightly back.

"Hello Auntie Nym'."

"Happy Birthday, Cygnus, you're a big boy now, so guard your mummy, okay?" the woman smiled gently.

"Thanks Auntie Nym, I will."

It still amazed me how could the boy call her a shortened version of the name she so disliked and stay alive.

"Is Remy with you?" I asked after fighting the urge to laugh successfully.

"He is somewhere… around." the woman laughed. "Ah, there he is." she then waved energetically until she caught the man's attention. Though I think that her hair colour which was changing a lot due to her excitement was what caught his attention more.

"It's good to see you Harry, cub." were the first words Remus said once he stood next to us, his son hung on his arm in a fashion similar to Cygnus'.

"Good to see you too." I smiled, hugging him shortly. "And to see you too Teddy, how have you been?" I asked the boy whose hair now turned blonde, trying to rival Cygnus'. He always did that when close to Swan.

"It would be better if you cam to visit more often… Happy Birthday by the way." Teddy mumbled only.

"I'll have to see to that, but for now… Do you have any plans? I promised the big guy here to buy him some presents." I laughed, patting Cygnus' head.

"Okay, okay…" laughed Remus. "Happy Birthday, Cygnus."

"Thanks Uncle Moony." Cygnus smiled then started speaking about something to Teddy who has taken to copying my eye and hair colour then.

I was zoning out, thinking about how like _us_ did the two children look when I heard Remus speak.

"How about we head to Madame Malkin's?"

I felt a pang in my chest. There weren't many places where I'd be reminded of him, given I did not go out of the house much aside from work, but Madame Malkin's…

Remy must have seen me hesitate as he sent Tonks and the two ahead and walked with me at much slower pace.

"What's wrong, Harry?" he asked silently, not wanting the people around us to pay too much attention to us. I only hoped that the Notice-me-not charm was still active, that way I'd be just a person in the crowd for all those who did not really know me.

"It's nothing…" …was what I wanted to say however I knew better than to hide it.

"It's just…" I had to stop for a moment and think of all the fun we're going to have at Swan's party… just to not burst out in tears. "I met him there for the first time…" I whispered in the end.

"Ah, that explains quite a lot actually." Remus smiled kindly as he patted my unruly hair, which Cygnus inherited.

We then walked in silence for a while, but then asked cautiously.

"Don't you think you should tell him?"

"You don't have an idea how many times I thought about it…" I felt like sobbing. "But I don't think I would be able to see him again… I wouldn't be able to take it if he… What if he denied it?" 'Like that morning…' Harry added to himself. "I wouldn't be able to do that to Swan!" I cried out "…Or wat if he'll do something even worse?"

"Okay, so no telling…" Remy sighed, I felt almost sorry for him being the one of few to know about Cygnus' parentage… or Cygnus himself for that matter. But it was his ability to keep secrets that made me tell him. Not to mention that I chose him as Swan's godfather… as he did chose me for Teddy, only few months before that.

"I'm sorry." I felt bad for making Moony listen to my rambling all the time. "I just have this feeling that something is going to go wrong… What if Cygnus ends up not wanting to be with me at all?"

"Don't think that for even a second!" I heard Remy reprimand as he stood before me putting his palms on my shoulders. "Cygnus loves you! He would never choose anyone over you." he said in raised voice. I could clearly hear how much he meant it.

"Thanks." I smiled in the end. "I think I just needed someone to tell me that."

As we walked we soon saw the sign of Madame Malkin's. I was about to think that maybe things were not that bad after all, but then I saw a head of wildly-changing-colours hair running out of the store, followed by a smaller person whose hair were doing pretty much the same thing. Blonde nowhere in sight.

"I can't find Cygnus! I'm so sorry Harry I took my eyes off him for just a second and…"

I did not hear the end of what Tonks said however…

I was already running down the street, looking for my son frantically.

…

(Third Person's POV)

Harry could care less about the people who stared at him, mumbling something. He did not even care when he noticed a flash of camera by his peripheral vision.

He only cared for one thing.

And that was getting his son safely to his arms.

…

'Where's mummy?' was what the small blonde boy thought as he looked around, not seeing anyone he knew, only seeing a scary mass of wizards and witches.

'I just wanted to go meet mummy halfway.' As the child realized more and more he was getting lost he was starting to panic.

'I just wanted to show mummy I'm a big boy…' The child felt how tears threatened to come but tried to stop their arrival. Big boys don't cry after all.

Cygnus went and went, further from Madame Malkin's, further from the biggest mass of people who scared him so much. It however only lead him further and further from distressed Harry and the - by then frantically searching - Lupin family.

He was already sobbing by the time he ended up before Gringotts.

It may have been fate, or maybe it was pure coincidence, but it was when the boy walked closer that he ran into a man who just walked out of the building of the bank.

An aristocratic, blonde man called Draco Malfoy.

…

(Harry's POV)

'Where is he, where is he, WHERE IS HE!?'

My thoughts were running at the speed of light, analyzing all the places Cygnus might have gone to, what could have caught his attention, who he might have followed… and I did not like the numbers I got. There were just so  _many_  possibilities.

It was that once that I regretted not putting a tracking spell on Cygnus.

'Why did he leave Tonks in the first place?' I asked myself for a second then my thoughts returned to the one repeating sentence.

It was only moments later that I deemed the distance I've run already to be too long for a lost child to be walked in such a short time and decided to go back to the start.

'Maybe Tonks and Remy found him?' I tried to convince myself. I however did not believe it, I will not believe until I hold him in my arms securely.

I apparated back before the Madame Malkin's, letting my heart sink at the first memory I had from this place, I however quickly pushed it aside.

'There's no time for that!' I almost yelled at myself before looking around.

Not seeing the Lupin family I took off in the opposite direction to where I've just been.

'Oh Swan, please, be safe.'

…

(Draco's POV)

I just walked out of the Gringotts, quite angry as to say, given that I've just found out about yet another restriction father has put on the Malfoy vault until I marry, when suddenly I felt something small bump into me.

I was just about to curse it when I heard a sob and after looking down realised that it was a child that has run into me… and a lost one to boot.

I wanted to leave it be at first however the child's hair caught my attention, it was not often that I someone who had as fair blonde hair as me. It made me curious for some reason and looking at the child I suddenly felt my anger disappear.

I was wondering what the boy's eyes looked like, but as he was crying he was either screwing his eyes shut or shielding them from my sight by his balled hands.

"I can't find… I can't find…" The child sniffled. The words were slurred and so I had trouble to understand, however it did not take me long to realize that he actually did not end any of the sentences.

It was when I lowered to sit to be on the child level, asking "Who is it that you can't find?" that I got my ending as the child's cries turned to a full wail.

"I CAN'T FIND MUMMY!"

…

(Harry's POV)

" _I CAN'T FIND MUMMY!"_

'That was Cygnus!' I immediately knew hearing the high-pitched wail from somewhere in the direction I was headed to.

I ran even faster after that, until I saw my little boy before the Gringotts, the man near him blur only as I felt tears of relief come to my eyes.

I was soon enough by his side, calming him, kissing him, holding him so close that it might have hurt however he seemed not to care about that little as he wrapped his little arms around my neck.

"Harry?"

It was that one word that brought me out of the worlds that centred on my son only as I looked up at the man who had been with Cygnus before I came.

' _Had anyone punched me at that moment, I would not even notice.'_

I looked up and saw the fair-haired aristocrat that had been both, my nemesis and the love of my life also.

"Draco?"


	3. Sometimes Word Does More Harm Then a Knife

(Draco's POV)

_Had anyone asked me what I regretted in my life the most I would not answer, there are too many regrets for me to speak of._

…

I had pictured my meeting with "the Boy Who Lived" many times, but it certainly did not come close to how it ended up to be.

The hair as black as raven's wing messy, his breathing heavy, panic in the eyes… that all however was nothing compared to the shock I got when I saw him hug the sobbing child that has been holding onto my hand just a moment ago.

I looked at him for a while, how he held the boy close, whispered soothing words to him, kissed him with affection and I had no doubts that the child was his.

"Harry?" I only got out of myself strainedly, not trusting my voice to say more at that very moment.

I saw how he stiffened and how his look lifted from checking his son for any injuries to look into my eyes. I was hurt by how those emerald eyes I loved looked at me with shock and  _fear_.

"Draco?" was Harry's soft, choked reply.

It was when he said my name that the boy in his hand lifted his teary gaze to look at me also. As those green eyes looked at me I could not help but feel sad, because when I looked at the boy it only reminded me of how much I've hurt the owner of the only other eyes I knew had such colour.

The eyes that still looked at me from a ghastly pale face.

He looked from me then to his son and his breath hitched for a reason unknown to me.

And then, before I could say anything, he disapparated.

…

(Remus' POV)

I have been going crazy with worry when suddenly Harry and Cygnus appeared. I felt relieved at first, however I soon realized how shocked both of them looked for some reason. Not to mention that whilst it seemed as only shock for Cygnus, for Harry it seemed as if the world's weight was crashing down at him.

I looked at my family and saw that they did not miss it also, and so we all apparated away.

…

(Harry's POV)

' _Had anyone told me, I would not believe that I would ever see him again.'_

These were the only words that repeated in my head over and over from the very moment I said  _that_  name.

Even when I apparated to where I knew Remy would wait for me and Cygnus, even when we all apparated to not attract too much attention… I still could only think of that… along with the question that has plagued my mind.

'Has he realised?'

…

(Remus' POV)

When we apparated home the first thing I saw was Harry sliding to his knees, still holding Cygnus in his arms, breaking down in tears.

Cygnus tried his best to calm his mother down however Harry who was crying as he buried his face into his son's shoulder seemed far from consolable.

'What caused such a reaction?' I asked myself, seeing in the corner of my eye that Teddy and Nymph went to kitchen, probably to prepare tea or so. I used the opportunity and came closer to the mother and son, who seemed way too used to calming his mother down… it however seemed to help only a little as I saw the boy plead with his eyes for my help.

I sent little Cygnus after Dora to kitchen – which took time as Harry did not want to be separated from him – and then sat next to Harry putting my arm around his shoulders.

"Cub, what happened?"

He looked at me, opening his mouth, but then he closed it again as he started to cry even harder. It took two hours, five calming teas and empty room – as empty as it could be with his son sleeping in his lap – for him to speak.

"I…" he started, as he closed his hands around the empty cup. "I… I saw him…" he whispered in the end, tears once more rolling down his cheeks. He then placed the cup down and started running his hands through the blonde hair of his child looking blankly before him.

I did not really have to ask who he was talking about… There was only one person who ever made him like this. This was the fourth time I've seen him so out of it as this.

First being the time he woke up after I collected him from Hogwarts, the day after the mad man's defeat. He cried for hours before he was able to form a coherent thought, and it took him more than a month to be able to tell me what has happened.

By then his scent has changed, I however did not realize what it meant until his second breakdown.

Second time being when he found out he was pregnant. It was a month and half after _the_  night that I dragged him to Poppy Pomfrey who seemed to be the only doctor he has ever trusted.

I was worried about him as he not only did not sleep, but pretty much refused to eat, what little he ate he threw up soon after and he cried all day.

That one was really bad, I still remember how shocked he was. Apparently, he did not even know there was a possibility of a wizard getting pregnant. True, it was quite a rare occurrence – I did not have much time to look into it – however with the power he has had at the time, at least someone of us should have told him… At least someone should have thought of it, but then again… no one even knew whether he preferred guys to girls, he never showed much interest in either gender. Only later did I get to know from him about who he really cared about, about who he  _wanted_. That however was not until after Cygnus was born…

When Harry got to know about Cygnus he was back to crying all day. Not to mention that during the whole pregnancy Harry has more or less shut himself from the outside world. His only world being the life growing inside him… with an occasional talk to Poppy, who was needed as she told him about the state of the baby and told him what he should do for the child to stay healthy, me who made sure he was doing exactly that, Nymph who took the role of mother in his life, and Teddy, whom he was taking care of - exceptionally well, I had to admit, baring the few emotional outbursts during the pregnancy when Teddy's hair changed blonde, or eyes turned grey… Unlike Nymph he was not able to control it at all and it usually resulted in Harry disappearing for few days… Where to, we did not know, and still don't.

'The third time, however, was the worst…' I had to admit to myself, however before I could bring my memories of the time forth I was pulled out of my thoughts by Harry's soft voice.

"What if he realised?" Harry asked no one rather than anyone.

"Cub…" I wanted to calm him, however he did not seem to pay attention to me.

"What if he does not want to know of him?" he only continued, absent-mindedly stroking Cygnus' hair.

"Harry…"

"What if he denies anything has ever happened between us? Well, for him it did not I guess…"

"Harry!" I raised my voice, however I was not heard… I only saw Harry as his eyes suddenly opened wide and a whisper came out of his mouth.

"What if he takes him away from me?"

I did not know what to do with him, even normally it was not easy, as he did not really want to let anyone near himself after getting burned so badly, however at times like this one…

"I won't let him, but what if he tries?" Harry repeated over and over.

"There's no way he'd do that." I said, trying to convince myself also. Harry however did not listen to me, did not know about my presence even… He only continued to stroke Cygnus' head, looking at the sleeping child, as if his blonde hair could somehow make all of his problems disappear.

'It's like back then…' I sighed to myself, the memories of his worst breakdown coming to my mind.

_. . ._

_It was when I took Harry out for once, letting Nymph take care of close-to-eight-months-old Cygnus, Andromeda was there to help her, so it seemed as if everything would work out fine. And it did… at home._

_I took Harry out for his birthday. It seemed like a good idea, until we arrived at Diagon Alley._

" _Harry, cub, where do you want to go?" I asked, turning to him. I almost found it funny how disgusted he looked when he looked at the people around him._

" _Home…" He said only and turned as if about to leave._

" _Come on Harry, it's not that bad. I thought we could start with twins, don't you think?"_

_It has become our tradition to visit the Weasley twins at Weasley Wizard Wheezys at least once a month, Fred and George being two of the few who knew of Cygnus. The two of the few who did not abandon Harry because of his choice in love interest._

_Apart from the two only Charlie and Bill seemed to not mind much, they even visited sometimes. As for the once-so-called Harry's best friends…_

" _Yes, sounds good." Harry said, pulling me out of thoughts. He seemed to do that a lot even then._

_In the end we did go. And it seemed to go well, however there was something in the mannerism of the twins that was confusing me. Nervousness._

_'Why?' I thought back then. I however was vaguely aware that it probably had to do something with a meeting of sort as George – or was it him, really? I was not sure as the two has taken to always wearing hats, so George's missing ear would not be visible and they still had the image of unrecognisable twins - still looked at his watch… like three times every minute._

_"What is it?" Harry snapped in the end, noticing it also._

_The two looked at each other and once they nodded in approval over something, albeit sadly, they both sighed._

_"Okay okay…" they said together._

_"We're sorry, Harrykins…"_

_"… it's not as if…"_

_"…we don't want you here…"_

_"… It's more that maybe you…"_

_"… will not want to be here…"_

_"…in matter of like…"_

_"…three minutes."_

_I sometimes had troubles with understanding what they said when speaking in bits like this however Harry never did and so he asked immediately._

_"Why?"_

_"You know, we though…_

_"… about spreading our business further and…"_

_"… we went to France and…"_

_"… there was this guy who offered some…"_

_"… help with it and…"_

_"… he's supposed to come really soon and…"_

_"Too late… He's here!" one of the twins suddenly exclaimed, cutting the explanation off as he looked from the top to where the entrance to the shop was._

_I did not even need to look at Harry to know he paled. I did not even need to look and I knew he was starting to tear up… because the one who stood there was no one else but Draco Malfoy._

_'And here I thought this was a good idea.' I thought at that moment as I turned to Harry who looked even worse than I expected him to, but then again it was not that long since **then**  after all._

_I saw how Harry quickly put a charm over him, changing his features a bit, as he turned to twins._

" _You have a back door, don't you?" he asked, his voice coming out as a barely audible whisper._

_The twins seemed a bit hesitant whilst I saw the blonde man step into the shop, looking for the twins for sure, advancing step by step… closer and closer to us._

" _Please! I… He can't see me!" Harry pleaded._

" _Thought so…" Sighed one of the twins as he took Harry by the hand and led us through the shop, away from Draco who was then speaking to the other twin._

_It was then that Harry looked back, his eyes locking with the Malfoy's for a short moment before Draco was engaged in a conversation with the red-head once again and Harry dragged away, through the door, tears spilling down his cheeks by then._

" _Thank you George." he sniffled when we got out of the shop successfully, only seconds later._

_The Weasley twin looked at him curiously for a while, then he smiled._

" _Any time, Harrykins… I have to wonder whether it is just luck or can you really differentiate between the two of us? Even mum can't, in case you forgot." he laughed._

" _I just know…" Harry smiled back through the curtain of tears._

" _Well, that makes only you and…" he stopped abruptly and looked apologizing at Harry._

" _Him, right?" He asked, his voice cracking, as he waved in the direction of where we just came from. For an answer George only nodded._

" _See you later…" Harry whispered in the end, probably not trusting his voice as he caught my hand, so we'd apparate, before he however did so, he turned at George for the last time._

" _Just warn me next time, please…" I could not help but feel sad at how desperate it sounded, before I could however say something I could however say something we were already disapparating, George's "You can bet on that." being the only words I heard._

_. . ._

_When we appeared at our house, Nymph and Andromeda already coming to welcome us, with the two little boys in their arms, was when Harry started crying for real. He slid against the wall, pulling his legs closer as he rested his face, which was buried in his hands, on them._

_Harry was soon joined in his crying by Cygnus who must have felt the waves of distress coming from his "mummy" and did not seem to like them._

_There was something heart-breaking in the Harry who stood with tears still streaming down his face only to coo his child into sleep. He then said his goodbyes to the rest of us and disappeared in a familiar shape twisting motion. I did not even have to look at Nymph twice to understand that my coming after him would be welcomed… and so I did._

_I appeared in the hall of Potter Manor, which Harry got to know of only year before. I knew where Harry would go and so I did not even bother calling out and simply went._

_The nursery painted in green – Slytherin green, as the youngest Weasley man pointed out the day his and Harry's ways parted – seemed to be the room Harry spent the time at most. He had even had a bed there, his own room was almost unused. It was not a surprise for me to find him there, bent over the crib where Cygnus slept._

" _Harry…"_

_I startled him, if the slight jump was something to go by, and that alone could tell me he was not in the best of his, as normally he would never let anyone sneak up on him._

" _Moony…" he smiled at me as he wiped his eyes of tears. "I knew you would come…"_

" _Assumptions correct then." I smiled back as I came closer, looking at the peacefully sleeping child._

" _He looks like him, doesn't he?" he whispered as he stroked the child's cheek tenderly. Then as he reached to the child's eyes he retreated his hand abruptly. He looked at the boy and then walked to the other corner of the room, looking at the crib from there._

" _Cub?" I could only ask, not moving from my spot. "What's wrong?"_

" _I…" he started as he let his head bang against the wall behind him. "I'm going to say this only once, else I wouldn't be able to live with myself…" he whispered as he came closer once more. "If Cygnus inherited his eyes also… then I…" he paused, pained expression crossing his face. "I wouldn't be able to look at him."_

_I thought it better not to interfere._

" _If he looked any more like him, I wouldn't be able to bear it…" he walked over to the crib looking at the fair-haired child._

" _He looks so much like him… So very much…"_

_Harry then kept on repeating that, slowly sliding to his knees, hugging his body._

" _So very like him…"_

_I tried to talk to him, however he did not notice me. He only sank lower a lower into his shell, closing himself tighter and tighter in it… and as he did so he put his arms around his head, as if wanting to shield himself from the sound of his own words, as if he wanted to crush his head with them, however I was almost sure that it was no sound that tortured him so much. It was a picture, a picture of what future could be like. A picture of happy family._

_A future that was not allowed for him to obtain._

_It was only after his mumbling stopped that I came closer to him, finding him to be asleep. More like passed out, given the circumstances._

_After that he did not recognise anyone but Cygnus to ever be around him._

_To me it seemed as if he subconsciously felt that he needed to make it up to his son, for not being able to accept him fully. And for not being able to give him a complete family._

_It took him half a year to snap out of it._

_Half a year before Cygnus said out loud his second word which the rest of us so desperately tried to teach him as Harry refused to even think of it._

" _Daddy…"_

. . .

I looked at the now sleeping Harry as he even in his sleep stroked Cygnus' hair.

He must have fallen asleep sometime during my… recollections.

I only hoped that this time when he woke up, he would be aware of reality.

Even as harsh as it might be to him.

…

(Draco's POV)

Regrets… That was what I, Draconis Lucius Malfoy, mostly associated with the name of Harry James Potter.

I regret not recognizing him at Madame Malkin's.

I regret insulting the oaf…  _Hagrid_  and  _Weasley_  as it resulted in a denied friendship.

I regret insulting Harry as a result of my own bitterness over it…

I regret blabbering about the action with the dragon that oaf Hagrid had, which resulted in the detention in Forbidden Forest.

I regret not being able to get from father's clutches earlier, because maybe then I would have been able to go to the other,  _Harry's_ side much earlier…

What I however regret the most is that I did not stay with Harry that one morning…

I now remember being hit by a memory binding spell, by one of those I trusted, my  _friend,_  Pansy Parkinson.

I should have known better than to even mention spending a night elsewhere to the rest of Slytherins. The girl was not as stupid as she was pug-faced.

'Thanks god she's somewhere over the Atlantic.' I could not help but think to myself. It however did not bring me over the shock I earned earlier that day.

I still saw the dishevelled raven hair, the scared green eyes, and the boy the owner of those held in his arms protectively.

The dishevelled hair and sweaty appearance which spoke of a lot of running and overwhelming worries over the one he was searching for.

The boy himself, who has immediately sought the closeness of his parent who had been searching for him.

What however did sit right with me were those eyes. Those  _scared_  eyes.

"Scared…" I whispered to myself as I walked through the Manor recalling our meeting. "Why fear?"

Those eyes were haunting me. They bore into my heart. Those scared  _emerald_ eyes.

"Emerald…" I once again started mumbling to myself, only realising doing so after that. "And now I'm talking to myself,  _great_." I sighed. The matter of the emerald-green however stayed in my mind. The matter of where I saw that colour the last time.

'The Soul Bond.' I knew immediately and started walking slowly in the direction of the Manor's library. It took me few minutes to get there. When I got there I was – as always – was a bit taken aback by the amount of books there, given that my first thought would be to go through all of them book by book, manually. 'Thanks Merlin for magic.'

I placed my wand at the table at the centre of the room saying "Searching: Soul bonds and matters related". That was followed by a sound of books floating, shuffling and shifting. Then I saw how about five books ended up on the table, falling silently.

'Only five?' I asked myself, as I saw the floating books. They were even lined up according to thickness. I watched the work of the library appraisingly and picked the thickest book to read.

I then sat down and started to read through the book, page by page.

…

Three and half hours and four books later I was even more confused than I was before the search. Most of the books seemed to be only concerned about how great a gift the Soul Bond is and how happy and honoured the people tied in such a way must be… and then there were lines in the third book that simply seemed too much for me to comprehend.

The rules I did not quite understand.

_**The rules which tie themselves to the Soul Bond are following:** _

_**An affection of considerable merits is needed.** _

_**Both of the parties sacrifice to the other what holds the biggest price.** _

_**Consummation of the bond needs to be agreed on by both parties involved.** _

_**During the joining of two powerful individuals the receiving party is likely to be gifted.** _

_**Even the weakest forms of Soul Bond may prevent the individuals from ever trying to tie themselves to someone else.** _

_**For the Soul Bond to cease there is only a possibility of death.** _

'Affection of considerable merits? Yes, that certainly was there.' I sighed to myself, cursing the vagueness of the books.

'Sacrifice that holds the biggest price? What could be a biggest price according to a four hundred years old book? I know what  _I_  gave Harry that night however for him to also be…' I stopped myself for a moment. 'He couldn't be, could he?' at that I returned to the green eyes that looked at me that day, in the ruined Hogwarts, and I could only berate myself for doubting. Still it seemed a bit strange for the-Boy-Who-Lived to never use his fame to get a girl… or a guy for that matter… but then again, Harry has never been the type to simply throw "What holds the biggest price" - especially to a pure soul like him – away. 'Okay so that I understand… What about the rest?' I asked myself as I returned to the rules.

'Consummation agreed to by both parties? Check.' I did not even need to dig into the memories much to remember the heat of that night.

'The receiving party is likely to be gifted?' I raised my eyebrow at that. 'Okay, so I get what "receiving party" means, but what is that gift? I'd really want to know.' I sighed, knitting my eyebrows together. Even half an hour of intensive thinking did not get me close to getting what the "gift" could be…

'Prevent the individual from ever wanting anyone else… that's pretty much what it says.' I massaged my temples only as I remembered the repulsion I felt when I even  _thought_  of finding some "one-night stand"… 'Nah, that does not sound good. That seems pretty effective also.'

My eyes slid to the last of the points. "That I don't plan to find out." I said out loud as I closed the book I kept opened only for that purpose. Then my eyes slid to the last of the books, which was by all means the thinnest.

'Might as well read it all in one go.' I sighed as I reached for it. I however only looked at the title and the book fell out of my hands.

**Fated Matches, Soul Bonds, Male pregnancies and the matters related**

'What?' my mind screamed at me as my shaking hand reached for the book. 'It can't be, can it?' I asked myself. I only vaguely remembered about father saying something about reading on Soul Bonds, when we spoke about same-gender matches in Pure-blooded lines, however this certainly was not why he would say so, or could it be?

I opened the book skipping the first two parts and read.

_**Male pregnancy is a very rare occurrence, it only happens once every other century as same-gender Soul Bonds are, sadly enough, not looked well upon by higher society, which excludes the need for a powerful wizard most of the time.** _

_**When however such a bond is indeed formed, there is a high possibility of conceiving...** _

The text continued, however I did not pay attention, I only stared ahead while my brain worked.

'Is  _this_  what they meant by  _gift_? A  _child_? But that is not…' I stopped in the middle of a thought as I was reminded of emerald eyes.  _Two pairs_  of emerald eyes. One pair which was crowned by a head of blonde hair whilst the other looked at me with fear.

'Is that what it was? A fear of a  _mother_?' I was brought back in my memories to the moment of our meeting, remembering how the arms around the little boy tightened when Harry realized my presence.

I paced back and forth in the library when I was suddenly brought back to what started my whole search.

A  _tapestry_.

A magical tapestry which held all the names of the family.

I  _almost_  ran to the room – Malfoys never run – where the tapestry was. I did not even stop when I was already infusing my magic into the thing. Apparently, the more magic used, the faster the names appeared.

I was soon at the names of my parents, whom I did not exactly love while alive, but cared for them even though… It was easier to forget one's faults while they're dead anyway…

A moment later my face and name appeared and – surprisingly – Harry's shyly smiling face and name appeared also, linked by the swirling emerald line. The fact that Harry's name appeared must have had something to do with the knowledge of the bond.

I almost expected nothing to happen however I soon saw the swirling line to crawl down the tapestry as a portrait of the child I saw appeared, and underneath it was a name. I almost wanted to cry when I saw it.

I could not even imagine how Harry must have felt when naming the boy, given how our ways parted. How  _I_  parted them.

I sat before the tapestry still sending a gentle wave of magic into it, so the faces would not disappear, so I could look just a little bit longer, to let myself trace the faces of the two people linked to me the closest.

The one of Harry James Potter, whose face almost leaned into my touch, if that would be even possible in that form.

And the face of a child who looked curiously at my finger when I ran it around the face in a circle.

A face of the child called  _Cygnus Draconis Potter Malfoy_.


	4. The Family to Hold Close to Heart Dearly

(Harry's POV)

 _Had anyone ever told him… Has **he**  ever_  _realised… just how much power he has over me?_

…

(Draco's POV)

When I woke up it was early morning - as far as I could tell from how the sky looked when I looked out of the only window in the room, which I saw by my right hand.

'I would have sworn my bed was soft yesterday…' I thought to myself and groaned when I felt pain shoot up and down my spine - the position I apparently slept in was not of the most comfortable ones. Then I finally took time to look around and I realized that it certainly  _was not_  in my room where I woke up that morning, nor where I fell asleep for that matter.

I was still in the room which held the Malfoy family tapestry, as I seemed to be somehow unable to just up and leave the day before. I  _longed_  to look at those two faces… I _needed_  to see that there was some connection between us still, that we somehow formed a  _family_ , no matter how dysfunctional as of now.

It gave me hope of there still being a possibility of a "Happily ever after", as cheesy as that sounded.

And I would strive not to lose that chance… not when I finally knew that Harry did not fly off to gods know where, but actually stayed in Britain, for other countries had their own parallels to Diagon Alley - thus no need to be there if not in the country… and then there was the very bond and the presence of our son…

'Ours…' it still seemed a bit foreign to me, to even think of having a child, but the beautiful little boy I saw… was for sure pressing me to renew my efforts to track Harry even more so.

'But for now I'm going to actually get some sleep…' I yawned, the little sleep I got being less than satisfying.

And so I left the room, only looking back once… just in time to see the faces of the two people closest to my heart to smile for the last time… and then disappear.

…

(Third Person's POV)

"Dear Merlin…" Remus Lupin sighed as he came into the kitchen that morning and saw the main line of the Daily Prophet his wife was in process of reading…

**The-Man-Who-Lived spotted!**

…and then when coming a step closer.

**written by Rita Skeeter**

"Doesn't that woman ever have enough?" He said as he stepped closer to the sitting Metamorphmagus to and kissed her softly on the lips. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too... though after you read this it won't be quite as good anymore, believe me… so to answer your earlier question no, she will never have enough... especially enough of dragging Harry's name through mud." The woman sighed as she handed her husband the newspaper and went to prepare some breakfast for him, whilst the man read the article.

_Harry James Potter, our Saviour, the one who rid our world of Voldemort (formerly knows as "You-Know-Who", or "The Dark Lord") has been spotted in Diagon Alley after long years in which the wizarding community was not able to spot a hair nor hide of the man. (for references of last spotting of our hero, please turn to page 5)_

__

_However what a situation have we found him in! Our Saviour has been spotted, running down the Diagon Alley, seemingly in a great rush. Was he running late for a date maybe? Has someone managed to snatch the heart of the most sought after man in Britain? This reporter wants to know. ..._

Under more of that rubbish was a photo of Harry seemingly running endlessly in a disheveled state… exactly how looked at that moment, only printed for whole wizarding community to see. It however took only one look to see that it was not exactly a missed date that Harry was so stressed about. It took anyone with eyes to see just how frantic, worried, _scared_  even, Harry looked at the photo as he turned his head to side, searching the crowd every now and then.  _Everyone_  could see it. At least the werewolf hoped so.

"It just makes me wonder how many howlers will that vile woman get for this…" Remus muttered to himself, sincerely disgusted with the article and the woman who wrote it, as a cup of coffee appeared before him.

"That and how many of them will be sent to Harry, right?" the woman with now violet hair asked as he sat down, holding a steaming cup of tea. Also thinking of the boy they both cared for like their own son, even with the smaller age difference Harry had to "Tonks".

"That also…"

…

In a different house, a  _Manor_  to be exact, another man saw a copy of Daily Prophet.

It was after the man woke up from a sleep he tried to get after the uncomfortable night, only to do so to the owls bringing the morning post rapping on his window.

And it was needless to say that this man was not any less angered than the Lupin family by the printed verbal diarrhea he saw.

He was  _furious_  actually. After all it was  _his_ Harry they slandered in there. His soul-bonded. The sad thing though was that he could not use that to enforce a justice at the vile woman who wrote it, for he was not in contact with the man he loved and whom the article - unfortunately - was about.

'How must he have felt?' Draco thought as he looked at the frantic Harry on the first page… As a new wave of guilt swelling in his heart and his mood has dropped to even lower point of misery.

The paper soon was not in his hand anymore… for he has thrown it into a fireplace and it shrivelled and turned to ashes in a matter of seconds.

…

(Harry's POV)

The first thing Harry heard that morning was a tapping on a window.

A numerous tapping and flaps of wings.

I knew what they meant… though the times where that was a daily occurence has long since passed, I still remembered.

'Why is it always me?' I groaned to myself as I pulled a blanket over my head, hoping to block the whole world from me.

Aside from making me realize that I was in my bed and not on couch where I was sure I fell asleep - 'Remus must have brought me here.' - it however only brought me recollection of the previous day.

_"Harry…"_

How my name slipped off  _his_  lips. How genuinely surprised he looked at that moment… How many emotions were displayed in those silvery-gray eyes I've always loved so much, the surprise itself being the most prominent one. There however were more of these along with the one that has confused me the most.

_Guilt._

'Why would he feel guilty? He seemed to not care in the least about what will happen to me… after that night.' I thought to myself as I brought myself to the "morning after". One of the most painful memories I had, war be damned.

. . .

" _Draco I…" I started. I wanted to know why he was not beside me still when I woke up. Was he regretting it enough to run?_

" _Who gave you a permission to use his name!?" Pansy Parkinson, all but screeched, cutting me off._

_I looked at her for only a second, then turned to_ _the blonde… What I saw in those eyes however confused me greatly._

" _That's right Potter, when did I give you permission to use my name?"_

_I could only look at him in astonishment for a moment, then I found my voice again._

" _I…" … for a moment._

_I felt tears gather at the corners of my eyes, I however did not want to let the Slytherins have the pleasure of seeing me cry, especially not him… and so I pushed the feeling off for a moment and looked at the floor._

" _I just wanted to give you this back." I choked, digging a wand made of hawthorn out of my pocket, handing it to Draco. "I did not get to return it to you y-…" I stopped myself immediately, shaking my head. "It did me good, it's time to return it to its master…" I whispered, the need to cry becoming overwhelming... I knew I would not be able to hold the tears much longer._

" _Goodbye…"_

_That was the last word I said before I ran out of the corridor, leaving my heart behind, bleeding profusely as it was crushed in the heart of my Slytherin prince._

. . .

'Did I ever have the right to call him mine? He does not care about me at all…' I said to myself, the conclusion I got in the past also. When suddenly I realized that something seemed just  _off_  in that memory.

The look he gave me.

There was  _no_  recollection of the previous night. I was quite good at reading D… -  _sigh_  - Malfoy's emotions since way back, I've always somehow managed to see past the mask of a superior pureblood he always had to put on.

But there was  _no **mask**_  at that time. There was only confusion.

'How could I not see it?' I asked myself as his question was repeated in my mind over and over

" _That's right Potter, when did I give you permission to use my name?"_

_"... when did I give you permission to use my name?"_

'What else was wrong in that memory?' I asked myself immediately. I however could not find anything, having always blended too much into the hurtful feeling whenever I tried to recollect something which might be of actual usage.

'I need to see it from a different angle…' I sighed as I've gotten myself out of bed, dressed quickly and stepped into the room opposite to mine, it being the study.

I walked inside and went straight for my desk, opening the middle drawer on the left side of the table, to pull a Pensieve from it. I pulled a silver strand out of my mind and let it fall gently onto the surface, watching it with some morbid fascination… then I brought myself to look into the memory.

_"... did I give you permission to use my name?" Draco had asked as he looked at me, actual confusion not being hidden in his eyes as it was on his face, the undertone of those words speaking of confusion also._

'He was actually asking for answer? Sincerely?' I could only ask myself as I saw the first of things I missed when standing in front of him at that moment. I however chose not to dwell on that for much longer as the memory continued. 'Maybe I can get some more clues from this?'

The younger me looked really and utterly crestfallen at that moment, however he still gripped himself together and spoke.

" _I just wanted to give you this back." I choked, digging a wand made of hawthorn out of my pocket, handing it to Draco. "I did not get to return it to you y-…" I stopped myself and shook my head. "It did me good, it's time to return it to its master…" I whispered, the need to cry becoming overwhelming..._

The younger, _heartbroken_  me was looking at the floor at that moment… I however also remembered sneaking glances of the blonde from behind the bangs I let fall over my face… knowing well that this might be the last of him I'll see...

It was thanks to  _that_  that the memory was not hazy, nor blurry - the picture only being able to show what I actually saw back then.

It was because of those last glances that I noticed a detail the tormented me missed back then. A detail that made me understand just who it had to be who has turned the morning I hoped to be my best, to be the worst I ever experienced.

A victorious smirk of one Pansy Parkinson.

'He does not care about me at all…' I could not help but try to tell myself again, a last bit of self-defence, I could only guess, however as my mind tried to make me believe so I recalled the face of the boy… the  _man_  I've loved for so long as I saw it just the day before… The face of the man who stood shocked at the entrance of the Gringotts yesterday, his lips letting my name fall off them in what I could only describe as shock.

"Or does he?"

…

(Third Person's POV)

Harry might not have known it, however there was a connected inner conversation going on in the mind of the man he's loved so much. Only from the point of view of the person which has been a world to Harry from way before that one fateful morning.

…

(Draco's POV)

'Does he care for me still?' was the thought on the forefront of my mind as my steps found the way into the room which held the tapestry which who-knows-and-cares-which one of my ancestors must have ordered for the Malfoy family.

' _Can he_  even care for me still?' I could not help but despair, running a hand through my hair, gripping at the bangs at the top, not letting them fall down where they would normally reach just about to my eyebrows.

For yet another time I wished that a certain pug-faced woman would not be over the ocean just for the very occasion of strangling the life from her. It was  _her_  fault!

. . .

_"Draky-pyoo!" Pansy Parkinson exclaimed, hanging herself around my neck as soon as I came into the classroom which has taken the role of the Great Hall for the time being - meaning food has been served there for those who stayed in the castle still. It was a spacious one, even if not as much as the main hall of the castle, there however the bodies of fallen from the battle were, and no one seemed to rush into returning it its previous function._

_Pansy's overly happy exclamation was met by disapproval from those close enough to hear it, me included. She seemed to forget that the battle which cost so many lives and could have meant an end to all we knew has been just battled hours back. She was desecrating the value of the lives put on the line and lost in that battle._

_"Get off me, if you would be as kind… and stop calling me that. It's degrading and stupid…" I muttered as I disentangled her arms from around my neck and grabbed the nearest toast I could get my hand on, aside from being hungry, also for the reason of have something to put my mind on, so I would not have to pay much attention to the girl who seemed way too eager to be around me, if one were to ask._

_"But Draky-p…" she did not end her stupid nickname she gave me as I cut her off with a glare. She however still seemed to want to talk._

_From that however I was saved, by Blaise as he came closer, along with Theo and Greg, who still seemed to be in shock from the events of the previous day. Especially the Fiendfyre. He seemed to not want to admit to himself that he has lost his friend to it, even if the said friend could not part himself with the Dark magic._

_"Where did you disappear to yesterday? You did not come to the Hufflepuff basement from what I know of. You were there when it was agreed that those students who stayed would sleep there as it was the least damaged of the Houses' dormitories. Where did you disappear to?" Blaise asked as soon as he was in hearing distance._

_"Since when is my sleeping arrangement of any concern of yours?" I could not help but smirk._

_"Cheeky aren't we?" he replied in a similar tone of voice. Then his complexion hardened a bit. "But for real this time, where were you? I was worried, for I knew that you can't just up and leave for Manor as lot of the other students and adults did. It being searched and all that…_   _What were you doing - and with whom - to end up… who knows where?"_

_"I was… away…" I only sighed as I started to pile the food up on the plates I had full attention to bring back to the probably still sleeping Harry._

_"Hungry, aren't you?" Blaise smirked as he watched the food hill._

_"Hmm… Yeah…" I replied only as I only half-listened trying to not drop the glass I was just filling with pumpkin juice._

_"Or it isn't just for you…"_

_"Hmm…" I could not stop the small smile that played across my lips. However I did not realize that soon enough, I however noticed that I caused the four of my fellow Slytherins to stare at me, dead-silent. And that silence made me turn to them._

_"What?" I asked, not aware what made them so quiet, placing the breakfast on the table before me expecting a confrontation of sorts._

_"You **did**  spend the night with someone!" Theo suddenly half-exclaimed, not wanting to raise that much attention from around the room. "Who  **is**  she, do tell us!" Theo demanded, then suddenly he stopped himself as he must have remembered something and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips. "… or knowing you, as I do, should I say  **he**?"_

_That surely caught me off-guard, I only looked at him for a while, knowing full-well that there was at least one person in my **very**  close vicinity that did not know about my interest sliding more to the same sex. And soon enough they announced themselves._

_"What!?" Parkinson screeched, earning yet another set of glares from around the room, some of the people around the room even starting to discuss her behaviour. She was really getting annoying, I could not blame them, if I could I would scream at her back I would. I however still had some image to uphold._

_"Our dear Drake here has been more interested in what's between guys' legs since quite some time ago Pansy. I'm only surprised you did not notice yet." Blaise sighed only. Then turned to me. "I guess it really was a bloke then?"_

_"What do you think?" I asked my arms crossed before me, my left eyebrow slightly raised._

_"Okay, so now that we've established that, who is the lucky guy?" Theo asked, for some reason seeming happy about the mess his statement has started._

_"I am not telling… now if you excuse me…" I said, turning back to the table where the breakfast I piled up was. As I was doing so I heard a girl's soft gasp right behind me. Parkinson._

_"It can't be…" the girl said looking horrified as her hand rose to her mouth when I turned to her. "Not that one…!"_

_In that one split second it took me to process that she must have realized just who was it, my attention always sliding to Harry almost unhealthily as Blaise always said, that I have spent the night with, the girl has pulled out her wand and sent me flying._

_It however was not a simple Expelliarmus as those who've seen it must have thought, as well as me at the time, not realizing the other effects the spell had. It however was something that was about to ruin my future._

_"Drake, are you all right?" Blaise asked as he offered his hand to me to help me stand up._

_"Yeah, I guess…" I said holding my head. Why did I suddenly feel something was amiss?_

_"Pansy you…!" Theo started, however I cut him off._

_"It doesn't matter… Let's go and have a look at what remained of our dorms instead." 'Why do I feel an urgent need to go there?'_

_In the end only Greg stayed behind, saying he's going to eat instead of walking if he has the chance to choose and Pansy went with us, rambling about something._

_Like that we left, the people in the room looking at us, probably at the time thinking what was wrong with me for I had trouble concentrating._ _Soon they were engrossed in their own talks again however._

_And the lone tray with breakfast remained abandoned on the table._

. . .

As soon as that spell has made contact with me all memories of me and Harry were gone, it made  _hours_  which were the most important to me in my life disappear in a  _second_. And with my head empty of these memories we stumbled upon Harry in the entrance of the Slytherin Common room.

'That was as far as I imagined our first morning together as it could ever be…' I sighed to myself, continuing to recall everything after that morning.

It then took over a year before the spell faded. It only did so few hours after the caster, Parkinson, left for the States. She probably did not know that the spell had boundaries like that and that she would not be able to hold the spell over the distance. 'She always thought too much of herself… not really surprising…'

I was in France at that time, in one of the family properties, when suddenly an intense pain struck me. I spent almost a whole day with a head-crushing-ache, it being so intense that I could not even move around much. It lasted the exact amount of time I lost. When I later on realized what I went through I did not really question anymore why the Ministry has banned the spell.

When I came to, in the middle of the night, it was as if I awakened again in that one morning. The feeling of happiness I felt back then however… was in reality long since gone.

. . .

_I woke up, somehow feeling **way**  better than fantastic… And the reason for that was lying next to me, snuggled to my chest, arm drapped around my waist, his head settled in the crook of my neck, nuzzling it when I moved._

_I could not help but smile at the sight of Harry who always pulled me closer when I wanted to stand up from the bed, looking all adorable when doing that._

_When I managed to get from his grasp after a while, he only whimpered at the lack of warmth and soon my pillow was pulled closer so it took my place as he hugged it close, inhaling the scent deeply._

_If not for the urgent need to use a bathroom I would have jumped to the bed to be back with him immediately, probably kissing his pouty lips until he woke up. The need to use bathroom however was more urgent of a matter at that moment._

_'Might as well bring some breakfast here…' I thought to myself as I emerged from the bathroom soon, all refreshed and once pulling on my clothes also ready to go outside._

_Looking at Harry and the way he breathed, a stable pattern, I expected him not to wake up for at least half an hour still. Not being sure if that was true however_ _I left a note on the bed-side table, informing Harry to be coming back in a while and for him not to leave the room if possible._

_Then, with a soft kiss on those pouty, sweet, **delicious**  lips, muttering a soft "Love you, too…" in a response to the confession I got just few hours earlier, I left, already planning to say the same words to the conscious Harry also, once I return with the breakfast._

_If I only knew…_

. . .

'He must have not seen the note…' I suddenly realized as I sighed, thinking of the future me and Harry could have had if things did not go like they went that fateful morning. Of future which the Parkinson had stolen from me, from  _us._  However the fact that I could not strangle her on a second's notice was not the worst thing I realised the day I got my memories back. It was that I did not know where or  _how_  to find Harry… for there was no one, aside from those closest to him, who knew where Harry was.

And that meant I could not get to him. Which only proved all the more true in the months and years that followed once I got my memories back, when - after moving back to Britain - I've searched for him without a clue. I even went as far as to actually go to the Weasel and his insufferable know-it-all wife with an intention of asking, however… they did not know. They for fact did not even remember being friends with Harry in the first place.

Even when I probed their mind, using Legillimens which Uncle Sev has taught me along with Occlumency when I was to spy, I could not find a trace of Harry in there. It lead me to a conclusion that the Golden Trio had split up for some reason… And I suddenly had one possible mean to get to Harry less.

However that one encounter made me decide not to use Legillimens ever after during my search, for I felt somehow bad for searching their memories like that… and I felt like I was betraying Harry, searching for him by those means, as if I would be unworthy of seeing him when finding him by those means… and my search continued.

I tried all I could think of. Always on my own though, I could by no means spread that I was searching for Harry as some people still believed me to have been a Death Eater, and that would not help me much in the search.

Like that I searched for him for three years, even going as far as to search foreign wizarding communities in my desperation.

Yet there was no trace of Harry still.

In the end I had to admit defeat. I knew for sure that Harry must be somewhere heavily warded, untraceable and most probably under Fidelius… and I was not able to get past that.

…

(Harry's POV)

'Was this the last one?' I could not help but look around, waiting for yet another red envelope which was so usual for Howler to appear. There however seemed to be none.

'Finally…' I sighed as I took off the wards and a sound proof spell on the room I was in solely for the purpose of getting the rid of the annoying letters. With quite a headache already, I had to say as even though I managed to destroy most of them before the worst part started, there still were a few which started with screeching almost immediately… and then there were the ones with love potions… and poisons. I always checked my post for spells and potions, even more so after the war. It was a shame I could not ward the house against these as it would cut off even the communication of a nonhurtful nature… those more or less only being Lupin family's and twin's letters… even if these were booby-trapped sometimes. I could live with my hair pink for few hours though.

As soon as I left the room I had a fair-haired child glued to me immediately.

"Why were you there for so long? I waited for like forever!" Cygnus pouted. I however knew from the state of his hair and clothes that it was not nearly as long as that. I however cared for that only a little.

"Oh, really?" I asked in a pretend surprise. "How about I redeem myself with a big pile of chocolate dipped pancakes?"

"YES!" came the immediate answer.

"Okay, we'll see to that… How about you go and put some clothes on for now?"

I did not even get an answer as Cygnus has taken off as soon as I said that. Which meant it was time to go and make pancakes.

…

"'re we goin' sum'wher t'day?" Cygnus asked, his mouth full of the pancake which was pretty much drowned in chocolate syrup. He looked terribly adorable with his cheeks puffed out like that.

"I was thinking we could… After all it did not go exactly… smoothly yesterday… I'm really sorry for that Swan." I sighed, ruffling his hair, my hand then sliding to caress his cheek.

"'s okay… but mummy?" he stopped stuffing himself for a while as he gulped nervously.

"Yes, Cygni?"

"Was that really daddy?"

I was actually surprised that he did not bring up the question earlier, but I guess the attention span of a six-year-old child when pancakes are concerned can be quite a short one… and so I smiled. "Yes Swan… That was your daddy…"

For minutes Cygnus stayed silent, only resuming to eat his pancakes, even if at a much slower pace… and silent as that he stayed for the duration of breakfast. Except for a small whisper that fell off his lips as he placed his fork down.

"I wish he could be here with us…" he mumbled as he stood up from the chair and climbed to my lap, something he has not done lately, claiming to be too big now.

"So do I Swan," I whispered as I hugged him closer "so do I…"

…

(Third Person's POV)

By the time the lunch came around Harry had to tell Cygnus all that he could think of about Draco, even as far as his bad habits which they together laughed over. It seemed that the day would go as planned, the first things on plan at that moment being a lunch at Diagon Alley.

It seemed so…

… However fate had different plans.

And those plans have flown to the Potter Manor tied to a leg of an owl.

Being the first one to see the bird Cygnus excitedly ran to the bird and was surprised when the bird actually held out its leg for him.

"Mummy! Mummy! Come here! I got a letter! It's addressed to me!" The child squealed excitedly.

Harry being in the next room ran to the hall where Cygnus was immediately…

… and just to see the little blonde tear the envelope open.

"Cygnus  _no_!" He screamed as he reached for his child.

He however was not close, nor quick enough…

He could only watch as the eyes of the child widened when a portkey inside has activated…

…and the child was in the room no longer.


	5. The Feeling Which Was Never Seen Clearly

(Harry's POV)

_Had anyone pushed me off the Astronomy Tower at some points in my life I would have thanked them._

…

(Draco's POV)

When I have just returned to the Manor from a visit of the Gringotts I was suddenly overcame with a very intense feeling of shock.

The thing however was, that I had not met something that would put me to such a state. There really was nothing shocking on the fireplace I was just about to light.

'It feels as if the feeling isn't even mi…' I suddenly stopped the thought as another has overlapped it. 'Harry…'

I've read in one of the books that depending on the acceptance, the strength and other factors of the bond there could appear some ways to keep the track of the other partner.

One of these ways was empathy.

I did not even have much time to elaborate the idea when the feeling of shock suddenly turned into a feeling of pure horror. It made me  _sure_  something  _very_  bad has happened.

I was worried that given my means I would not be able to get to Harry in time… when suddenly an idea struck me.

'The Weasley twins…'

The two red-heads were probably the only part of the family that I was on speaking terms with.

I met them for the first time since the battle when I was in France. Back then I did not remember yet. They however kept the meeting a business one. Only at the end of it did one of the twins - Fred I think it was, thinking back on it, I only learned to differentiate them later - said something that made me confused.

_"Why do it if it meant nothing for you?"_

He asked after staring at me for a full minute, as if trying to convince himself to actually speak… which was probably what he was doing.

_"What do you mean?"_

I asked back, not knowing. I think that talk we had has been their first clue to me not really being in the clearest of minds that one morning, it was something that  _maybe_ , along with the fact that I soon confessed it all made them trust me a little, even allowing us to form a tentative friendship by the time the contract was written.

In the end they were the first ones I went to when the spell over me broke and I tried to search for Harry.

_"We can't help you…" they said at once, then their sentences started to be split between the two of them._

_"It would be too easy for you…"_

_"…if we did that. Harrykins…"_

_"…deserves more than that…"_

_"…He deserves to be sought after. Not to mention…"_

_"…that if we led you to him now…"_

_"…he might just dissapear…"_

_"…or do something very stupid…"_

_"…He won't be able to face you now…"_

_"…search for him first. Maybe once you find him…"_

_"…he will be ready. If you can't find him even so…"_

_"…and we know you mean it for real…"_

_"…maybe when Harry seems ready…"_

_"…we will lead you to him ourselves."_

Their way of speaking has always been a bit confusing, however it somehow made perfect sense to me… I knew I had to earn the right to see Harry first… then we would see.

I did not dare tell them how my side of story came to be at first… knowing they knew Harry's point of view of that day anyway. Yet they offered to help me. They even accepted the fact that "When?" was the first question I asked them when seeing them. Now I even understood their reluctance to lead me to Harry, knowing there was Cygnus for me to know of still.

'So Weasleys is it?' I asked myself briefly… And then I was already apparating away.

…

(Third Person's POV)

Harry could not even move for a moment, only looking dumbly-almost to the place where his beloved boy was just briefest seconds ago.

"Swan…" He could only whisper in shock. That very endearment of his caused his shock to turn into outright desperation.

And soon he was already apparating.

…

Maybe it was by a pure luck of Harry's that he did not get splinched along the way, being as stressed as he was. He however arrived safely, to the kitchen in the house of one Remus Lupin.

Any other time he may have felt thankful that few week he has been keyed into the wards to be let through… However not that once.

"Moony!" Harry exclaimed as soon as he has landed, falling to his knees after a moment of unbalance.

"What is i-…" the werewolf who was called down by the feel of wards shifting took in the appearance of his honorary godson and he knew that something surely was not right.

"My Swan! Someone took Cygnus!" Harry despaired, running his hands through his hair before starting to pull at them.

"What!?" asked Remus only, along with one Nymphadora Lupin who came after her husband.

"A portkey in a letter! There were the howlers… The owl came and… I should have known…" Harry tried to explain. He however soon slipped into repeating the words he said, jumbling them in one incorrigible mess as he abused his hair, seemingly trying to rip them off his head in one movement.

Seeing that the woman whose hair turned to dark gray, showing her own dreading of the situation so, was soon at his side.

"Calm down a bit Harry, we can't help you if you don't explain it to us clearly…" she said in a silent voice, taking Harry's face into her hands. "Tell us again, okay?"

It was gestures like that one that made Harry think of Tonks as of his adoptive mother of sorts, even if the age difference was not that big. And it was one of the reasons that he actually started to say how the day came to be as it was.

…

It was only about ten minutes later that a floo has flared to life, announcing that someone demanded to speak to the house's occupants.

Remus only tilted his head in a direction of the living room, showing his wife that he was going to take the call, as the woman was hugging Harry to her as the distressed "mother" has hyperventilated-turn-broke-down by the end of saying what has happened.

It was not strange to the werewolf to realize that it was one of the Weasley twins that he saw in the floo, given that they had a good relationship with them, unlike most of the Weasley clan after it became known just who was Cygnus' father. What however was strange was the twin's first question.

"What happened to Harry?"

Remus stared at the face in the fireplace for a while, before only saying: "What?"

"Come on, I know that if something has happened you would be the first one that Harry would go to, so…?"

"How can you know something happened?"

"I'd rather not dig into that for this very moment, the thing is… Is Harry okay?"

The werewolf was really getting confused by the words. He however also did not see a point in lying, as he would probably call the twins in a time, once knowing fully what they stood on.

"He's not… or more like Cygnus is not…"

"What happened?"

"Someone slipped portkey in a letter they addressed to Cygnus… and it took him off who knows where… and to tip it off it happened right before Harry's eyes."

" _Shit_." the twin in the fireplace cursed loudly. That  _was_  a response Remus expected. "I hoped he was wrong…"  _That_  was not.

"Who?"

The twin fell silent as a response to that. It stretched on for so long that Remus could not take it after a while.

"You know what? It does not matter now. Can you come through? Even bring the guy with you if you think it's necessary…" the werewolf sighed.

"I don't think you'd be eager in inviting us over if you knew who I'm talking about." the twin kept up the suspense.

"It doesn't  _matter_  I said! Just come, Harry's going to need you… we'll need to call the Aurors in a while, seeing that we don't know where Cygnus was taken to… He'll need the support, you know?"

"Just don't hex him, or us for that matter, okay? He's innocent in this… and in much more also."

The red-head left the werewolf to wonder like that.

The man did so even as the first of the twins, George, according to the lack of ear, not hidden by a hat for once, something Remus did not think of noticing when speaking with Fred over the floo. He was soon followed by Fred himself.

And the three of them looked at the fireplace when it flared to life for the last time.

To reveal Draco Malfoy.

…

(Remus' POV)

'Okay,  _him_  I did not expect…' I admitted to myself in my thoughts. It however only made me suspicious. What was that man even doing here if not to try to hurt Harry?

"What are you doing here?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"What happened to Harry?" the blonde asked, massaging his temples, as if trying to hold off a headache. Looking at him I could easily connect him to the boy I saw on the Order's meetings once he started to spy. He was quite helpful to the others, once in the privacy where no Death Eater associates were to betray him to their Lord for acting anything but cold and indifferent to us. He seemed so much more  _that_  then the guy who Harry told me broke his heart. He somehow did not seem the type. He hadn't  _been_  the type. He seemed to really like Harry back then, I could tell.

"How can you know something happened to him?" I asked instead of answering. The answer however was not something I'd ever think to expect.

"He's scared, terrified even. He's blaming himself for something. He's crying probably… I don't know  _why_  though."

"How can you know that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. "You have something to do with it, maybe?"

"NO! Don't you think that for even a moment!" he said in a raised voice. It seemed a genuine outburst of emotion.

"How then?" I still stood my stance.

He opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again, looking at the twins. It seemed that whatever it was, he had not said to the twins either… or yet. Seeing one of them nodding he turned back to me, not looking me in the eyes though.

"We're soul-bonded…" he whispered.

"What?" the three of us, the listeners said at once, accompanied by "Why didn't you tell us?" from twins.

"I only got to know that yesterday, was it only yesterday really?…" he seemed to get lost in his thoughts for a moment, he however was soon lucid again. "I found an old self-updating family tapestry in the morning, Cygnus is there al…"

I could almost see how it clicked together in his mind as he brought up their child.

"No…" he whispered, what he felt probably deepened by the bond he and Harry shared. I could believe it. There always has been a strong bond between the two of them.

"Something happened to Cygnus?" he asked, his eyes filled with something I only rarely saw in there, even in his time of spying. _Fear_. It was a fear for the child he only saw once, yet was so deeply bound to him.

"Answer me!" he cried out coming closer. "What happened?"

I almost felt sorry for him. I however was not going to do that until I got to know what actually happened that morning I found Harry in tears. There seemed to be more to that story.

That intention of mine however was cut off by a pale-faced person who appeared in the door-frame.

"Draco?"

…

(Harry's POV)

_Had anyone told me, I would not believe that I would be the one to carry a child._

'How could I not expect it? I have been the one to carry him, he was bound to get into trouble of sorts. I should have known to not leave him alone when so many howlers came… Did someone see us? How could I be so stupid to not think of it?' I blamed myself. I however was brought out of my thoughts of self-loathing as I heard a voice from the living room where Moony went minutes ago.

_"Answer me!"_

It was a voice I could easily categorize.

'Him?' I only asked myself, shell-shocked. I could not believe it. I had to see for myself.

I eased myself from Tonks' embrace and almost ran to the door to living room.

And there he stood, as handsome as I could remember him from the fondest of my memories, putting aside the shock I got the day before aside completely.

"Draco?" I could only whisper. I did not trust my voice for more.

At the sound of my voice all of the four people in the room turned to me. I only then noticed that the twins were also there. I however still had my eyes locked on him.

"Harry I…" he extended his hand to me, however quickly put it down, as he backed a bit from me, being quite close up till then. I somehow could not help but thank him inwardly for that bit of consideration.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered as my voice was slowly getting back to me after the shock. I was somehow surprising myself to not freak out when seeing him, or at least for not doing so immediately.

"What happened to Cygnus?" he asked only.

 _That_  made me freak out. "How can you know?" I asked, my voice raising into a pitch I did not know I was capable of.

It however did not last long, that state of mine, because it was as soon as he locked his eyes on mine, his smile so sad, that I began to calm down, the feeling coming onto me as if in waves. I somehow knew that it was him causing that.

"How are you doing that?"

"Not a conversation for now…" he sighed, seeing that I finally was not on verge of apparating away which was indeed what I was thinking to do. "What happened to Cygnus?"

"He was taken away…" I admitted, feeling the hyperventilation I slipped into at times to come at me again, soon soothed on the edges by the gentle waves of a calm feeling I could guess he had hard time producing, given the situation.

"We have to find him then…" Dra- … yes, I could easily call him  _Draco_  again, seeing he  _cared_  somehow. It however did not make me forgive him… 'Will I ever be able to?'

"Would you take him from me?" I could not help but ask, it being the worst of my insecurities for if I were to see Draco again… which was exactly what was happening now.

"Never… I'd like to know him though… I'd like  _him_  to know  _me_ … We have to find him first to do that though…"

Somehow even the calming effect Draco had on me till then could not hold back the outburst of fear that struck me. And I was soon on the verge of hyperventilating all over again.

…

(Draco's POV)

"What if something happens to Swan? What if they hurt him? What if they  _kill_  him?!" Harry continued with a speed of a Firebolt, his eyes widened in fear for his only child,  _our_  only child. It was this vulnerability of Harry's that made me want to cry, for maybe if the mess did not happen I could have prevented it from happening.

'Even more so a reason to try to help…' I told myself as I gripped Harry by his forearms and looked into his green eyes deeply.

"He's strong, don't forget that. He's ours… He's a swan and a dragon, they both have wings… he will fly without being hurt." I said, hoping to calm Harry's worries at least a little, seeing that my approach through our half-shared minds did not help at that moment. Even if my own worries were  _far_  from away. I however knew that it must be degrees worse for Harry.

"But… what if they break those wings Draco?" Harry whispered as tears started to fall down his face, every single of them being like an acid on my heart.

"Then we'll support him with ours, we will make him grow new ones if needed… just don't give up… you simply can't give up on him. He's our child, between your sheer luck and my tendency to get away - somehow - always he'll be all right."

Harry smiled a bit, despite the situation, even if he continued to cry still. He then continued to ramble on, even as I took him in my arms. He did not even as much as flinch

"I wish I put that tracking charm on him… I really wanted to, after what happened at the Diagon Alley… Just one stupid charm… I should have thought of it…"

As Harry continued to cry in my arms what he has said suddenly reminded me of something.

I remembered one of the hours father gave me, teaching me everything there was to know about the Lordship I was to get when grown up. He spoke about a tracking of lost members of the family. About how that should be accessible to…

"The Head of the family only…" I whispered.

"What?" Harry asked, looking at me with those green orbs of his, which were still drowning in tears.

"We  _should_  be able to get to him!" I said hurriedly, already apparating-turn-dragging Harry to the Manor's library where I knew the book father has read it from was. I only hoped we won't be late to find it.

…

(Third Person's)

Elsewhere a child was just waking up, having been knocked out by the fall caused by the portkey.

"Where's mummy?" Cygnus mumbled as he looked around the cell he found himself in once he came around, not really seeing it for what it was still.

"Mummy's home, brat." A voice mocked from behind the bars.

"Why is mummy not here?" The child asked, confused. He still did not get what was happening.

"Mummy won't come for you, child… and neither will daddy… but in a case they do, how about we get down to something fun first?" The voice cackled evilly.

"Fun?" Cygnus asked, feeling the ill intentions behind that word. "What kind of fun?"

"Believe me…" The voice said as its owner - a man who clearly had anything but friendly intentions with the child - came into the cell, his wand pointed at the child as he locked the door behind himself. "You will not like this kind od fun."

"Wha-?"

" _Crucio!_ "


	6. For Future Together They Will Strive

(Harry's POV)

_Had anyone ever asked me what the thing I prize the most is I would say there is none. For there are always people who will mean much more to me than any thing ever can._

…

(Third Person's POV)

As soon as Harry and Draco - as well as the twins and Lupin family of three the blonde returned to fetch - got to the library of the Malfoy Manor they rounded around the big table in its center.

"Searching: Lordship, Rights of the Head of the family, Tracking of family members, Tracking of lost people and matters related…"

As soon as the blonde said that books started floating from different shelves of many corners of the library only to start piling on the table. Seeing the amount which appeared the blonde could not help but wince. He however did not know any other way and it still was something… He was not about to lose hope.

"Rule out the large tomes, it was surely in a one of the average to smaller book… I think I'd remember my father going round the room with something like that in his hand… " once Draco said that the larger tomes were levitated away by the Lupin pair. "The chapter we're searching for should be titled "Tracking of the lost family members" or something of the sort… If the book is in French pass it me or the twins, I hope you remember enough from the five years I taught you…" Draco said, turning to the red-heads, then he turned back to the rest. "If it is Latin I can handle that also, same goes for Italian… I don't think there are more languages than that, but if you find some we'll handle it in the process… Now just grab the nearest book in your vicinity and search."

That did not need to be said twice and soon enough all the wizards - and a witch - in the room were rummaging through the books, having one or two ready for once they read through the first.

And the time was ticking.

…

It was not even fifteen minutes later that Draco noticed Harry's expression turn pained. He stopped his search for a moment and walked over to the green-eyed man who has by then dropped his book and clutched at his chest.

Even Draco started feeling weird, however he tried to push the feeling aside concentrating on the search however now he had an idea what was it about.

"They're hurting him…" Harry sobbed when Draco came close enough for him to notice. "I know they are…"

"We'll have to hurry up then…" Draco tried to reason in a low voice to which he gotten a nod as Harry soon picked up the book to continue reading it. Draco himself was however also getting more and more worried with each passing second. He  _hated_  not knowing what was happening.

It was just as Draco was about to stand up and return to his own search that Teddy's voice rang through the silence of the library which aside from the small talk has only been disturbed by the sound of the pages flipping.

"What is this language?" was the simple question. To that Remus stood up to look at the medium-sized book his son found. Even he however had no clue what the language was and soon the book was passed from hand to hand until it got from Draco to Harry.

"What's so strange about it?" Harry asked as he opened the book.

"Uhm Harry…?" Draco started seeing the strange mess of symbols on the page. To Harry it however seemed different.

 _"'For those of our blood only'… What a strange title."_  Harry said out loud. What he however did not realize was that what he heard as himself speaking English was a set of low hissing sounds to the rest of the room's occupants.

"Why's Uncle Harry hissing?" Teddy piped up, half hidden behind his mother as the sound surprised and quite scared him.

"Huh?" Harry only then looked up from the book.

"Parseltongue, of  _course."_  Draco said, sounding a bit amused.

Harry however still looked a bit lost.

"Parseltongue, …" he omitted the "love" he wanted to say, knowing it was not the right time to say that, and thankfully no one noticed, except for the only witch in the room who only smiled at him sadly. "Can you search through it? There has to be a reason it appeared with the keywords said…" Draco said in the end.

After Harry nodded Draco and the rest returned each to their own books.

…

(Harry's POV)

 _"Follow the family's Parselmouths"_  I read out when I stumbled upon a chapter named like that in the book, only a while after the book got into my hands. It however only took me one look at the rest of the search-team to know it was not in English yet again.

"Follow the family's Parselmouths" I said again, looking away from the book which triggered the Parseltongue I used as much as seeing a snake did.

"Cygnus is a Parselmouth?" Draco asked immediately, somehow the tone in that question seemed more of the one of a proud parent than that of a vision of strengthening to the blood. Something I would have thought for Draco as important… once.

"I don't know… I just _think_ he is…" I admitted sighing. "The ability shouldn't have even stayed with me after the last battle but I still speak to snakes in the garden… and Cygnus seems to listen to me when I do that sometimes… and it _is_  a hereditary ability so I just thought that we could try it maybe…" when hearing myself talk about the small chance of success it did not seem such a great idea anymore. Draco however seemed to think differently.

"I think we should try it… It's the only thing close to what we need anyway, not to mention it will not be confused with other members of the family in the distant branches… as nearly all Parselmouths are dead… only you and maybe Cygnus use it as far as I now, so…"

"What does it do exactly?" Remus asked before I could protest about the chances of Cygnus not being a Parselmouth… or something.

"It would take a Parselmouth who wants his family searched for another of the kind, me. Another person of the family, Draco. And a caster… They did not have the possibility of there only being two quite thought through, but if I rewrite the spell, would you do it Remy?" I turned to my father-figure of long years.

"Of course I will."

"Great… The point of the spell thankfully enough is to actually bring us to the Parselmouth we find… so I just have to rewrite it now, I guess…"

…

(Third Person's POV)

Elsewhere, in a place which looked like from someone's worst nightmares, there was not even nearly as much silence as in the library.

 _"Gelidae Acus…"_ * said a low voice to the coldness of the room which was anything but friendly. The screams which echoed through the room soon after the spell was said however did not seem enough to the man…

 _"Tardus Dolor…"**_  he said, making a slow spiraling motion in the direction of the little boy in front of him.

The boy's hoarse screams soon got louder as the pain which came from the previous spell seemed a walk in a park when compared to the one curse being used.

Waves of pain. Coming at the boy… again… and again. Tearing at his very cells, making them seemingly burn… Just so much pain.

And suddenly it stopped.

 _"Aquamenti…"_  the man standing over the now-crying child said in a bored tone. As soon as he did an ice-cold water drenched the child through and through, causing it to scream in pain again as the water felt like yet another ice needles breaking into the skin tender from the abuse it suffered in form of many cruel curses many marks marring it already.

"You're no fun…" spoke the man more to himself than to the child which certainly was not listening to him by then.

"Maybe we should try something different now?"

…

It only took a few tries for Harry to rewrite the spell into its Latin equivalent, the need to find his child intensifying the resolve… And the not-so-subtle waves of pain stopping all of sudden were a cause to make him work faster also…

"Here." Harry said, holding out the hand with paper to his once-teacher.

Once the man took the paper he placed his hand over the already joined hands of the parents searching for their child.

" _Serpentum Oratorem Scruta!_ "*** Remus read from the paper Harry gave to him.

…And immediately the three of them were gone.

…

The three men appeared in a dark cell, where it smelt of blood, and tears, and urine… what however was the most prominent smell in the cell was  _fear_.

Fear, which was everything but dripping from the walls.

It would be bad enough by itself.

There however also was a man who was working at his pace in disrobing the child which was lying on the cold floor, every brush of the large, rough hands being even more of a fire to the burn of the boy's skin.

The man was out before he even knew what hit him. He only heard the voice which the pure wave of released magic followed very quickly.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BABY?!"

…

(Draco's POV)

 _"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BABY?!"_  Harry's voice from which you could hear he was in tears rang through the cell along with the sound of the man's body hitting the floor. Unfortunately enough it also apparently alerted the man's accomplices… if the fact that six more men and a woman rushed into the room was anything to go by.

The number however soon diminished by one as enraged Harry took one of the men down before they had a choice to get what was going on.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Harry screamed, already sending a set of coloured spells at third of the people involved in kidnapping his beloved child.

'Harry can be scary sometimes…' I could not help but think as I sent my own curse at the woman in front of me and she was soon tied by ropes I conjured up. How was it even possible for her to be here?

'She's supposed to be locked up…'

…

(Third Person's POV)

With a huge help of Harry's blind rage and few well-aimed spells the group of eight which was involved has been captured and sent off with the called Aurors to the Ministry.

It came as a great surprise to the Aurors that the woman who has apparently lead the group along with her brother has turned out to be Alecto Carrow, a Death Eater who has been sent to Azkaban after the final battle… the same went for her brother Amycus… the same man who Harry moved up in his list of people he hated to its very top for the man's intentions with Cygnus were clear to them as soon as they saw him in the cell.

It however came as even greater a surprise when they later found out that the supposed Carrows in Azkaban were in fact some two poor random souls who unfortunately enough resembled them and who the siblings managed to switch themselves with before being transported to the heavily warded wizarding prison.

Needless to say that there would be a ruckus about that for some time.

Harry however didn't care about the Carrows from the moment the last of the eight kidnappers fell on the ground as he immediately got to his son, crying over the damage he saw on him.

"Here…" Draco held out five differently coloured potions in glass vials to Harry. "He'll be better if he drinks these."

A blood-replenishing potion, a potion to mend bones, a potion to knit the for-sure damaged muscles back together, a potion which lessened the effects of Cruciatus curse and a vial of Dreamless sleep.

Draco always carried few potions on his person, a habit he picked from his Godfather during his days of spying for the Order fo the Phoenix. At that moment he was more grateful for that than ever before.

…

No more than few hours since the boy disappeared he was carried to one of the Saint Mungo's rooms in Harry's arms. Harry refused to give him to anyone else.

"How did they get to know about Cygnus?" Harry asked the other people who walked with him once when they stopped in front of a hospital room as he cradled his precious child - who had to drink more potions to help get rid of the damage - closer to him. He then let go of him a bit reluctantly as one of the medi-wizards took over the care for the boy.

"Using some underhanded method for sure…" Remus said only, sighing.

"And why… didn't Draco know then?" Harry asked, immediately regretting his question as he saw the hurt look on Draco's face. Before he could apologize however he was cut off by his red-headed friend.

"Think of it Harry… He really wanted you back, however he did not want to slip into what everyone thought him to be, a Death Eater… To get the information the ones who took Cygnus probably Imperioed someone or caused something worse, even go as far as killing the unwilling informant - probably some poor soul from Saint Mungo's I'd say - And Draco  _knew_  that he could never come to you like that. He would be too ashamed to come to you like that. He wanted you badly, but there are limits to how far you can go to get someone…" George said.

It made sense to Harry… and it made him feel even more sorry for doubting the blonde when it came to that. He believed there was a lot of the boy he loved when at Hogwarts in the man he somehow loved still. He just did not know if the blonde was willing for these feelings of his - the feelings he _admitted_  to have to the blonde - to ever come into light again.

…

(Harry's POV)

It was the evening of the day I could easily rank high in my "Bad days chart".

I sat next to the bed where my beautiful baby boy slept, stroking his golden hair. If I were to lose him I wouldn't know what to do.

"You did not suspect  _him_?" Remy asked when he came into the room handling me a cup of hot chocolate… "It's good for nerves." he'd say if I asked why did he bring some and so I decided to skip that part of our conversation. It was needless to ask who he was talking about as he asked the question about only a minute after he came, almost crashing into Draco who was leaving at the time.

"No…" I somehow did not think for even a second that Draco had been the one to take Cygnus. I somehow trusted him even after all that time. Even if that trust was cracked, smashed and then taped together it stayed inside still.

I think that single word was enough for Remy to understand the rest of my complex feeling for the blonde. He has always been the one to catch on quickly.

"You should speak to each other…" he sighed, running his hand through his graying hair.

To that I could do nothing but agree.

…

(Draco's POV)

I walked back and forth in the Saint Mungo's corridors. It was driving me mad.  _Everything_.

That the Azkaban could not check on their prisoners better.

That for the battle of adults a child had to suffer.

And that it was my own son - that it was something I got to know only like two days earlier I did not care for even in the littlest - who the Death Eater siblings and their helpers hurt… well let's say that I really hoped that they would get the Dementor's kiss this time.

I however was fighting sadness also.

Sadness which sourced in the fact that  _maybe_  if me and Harry were not separated because of a witch I wanted strangled,  _maybe_  when this day came and the Carrows decided that they have been in hiding for long enough that we might have prevented Cygnus' involvement in it.

'If only I found Harry sooner at least.' I could not help but berate at myself.

During the almost seven years of my hunt I only spotted Harry once… some would have thought it to be a doubtful experience however I knew better.

. . .

_I walked into the grand shop which the Weasley Wizard Wheezy's surely was and looked around. There seemed to not be a trace of the two red-headed owners and so I stepped deeper into the shop._

_As I was doing so I felt a gentle wave of magic as it has been performed somewhere in my presence and looked for its source, there however seemed not to be a visible one and so I continued up into the higher levels of the shop._

_I did not even manage to advance six steps up when one half of the duo appeared._

_"When?" I asked, starting our conversation as I always did from as long as I had my memories back._

_"Not now." the red-head fidgeted a bit. Quite a strange movement for him, however I had no reason to point it out._

_"And hello Draco, by the way, we expected you a bit later." he said. It felt a bit strange to not see the carbon copy of him stand by his side._

" _Hello… Umm… Fred?" I asked, still not being sure completely about which of the two I was looking at. As the face before me lit up however I knew I got it right._

_"You're getting better!" Fred laughed and I could not help but smile a bit also. My smile however froze a bit when I looked around a bit and my eyes met with a teary green ones._

_Emerald ones._

_On a guy who then was caught by wrist by the other twin and led away._

_I must have stiffened a bit as I soon saw a hand waved before my face._

_"Earth to Draco, you there? Are you there?"_

_"It's nothing…" I shrugged it off and saved the image of the green-eyed man to think of it later._

_However even as George came a bit later, nodding at Fred before turning to speak to me I could not get the picture out of my head._

_For I was sure I **knew**  those eyes._

. . .

"What are you thinking about?" sounded behind me bringing me out of my memory. Once I turned around the very same eyes which I saw in it were looking at me in interest.

"It really was you back then… wasn't it?" Harry looked at me confused and so I gave him a better idea of what I was saying when I added. "At Weasley Wizard Wheezy's… It had to be like,  _five_  years ago maybe?"

The way Harry's eyes widened at it would be enough for me to be completely sure by itself… however the soft "How…?" Harry uttered was a welcomed confirmation.

"It's been a while since then… but I still remember your eyes back then… You did not charm them you know? I realized it was you, even if the eyes looked at me from a different face… Those striking green eyes of yours looked at me as if… I can not even describe it properly… it was as if you wanted me dead and in your arms at the same time." I laughed. Thinking about it, it must have been similar to what Harry actually felt that moment…

Harry's eyes filled with tears at that however.

I immediately reached out to hold him, however I hesitated. Would he even want me that close?

The arms which wrapped around my waist proved that he would.

I was so stunned by what he did that I missed what he was saying, and so as I asked him to repeat as I hesitantly wrapped my arms around his more slender form.

"I- I would never…" he sobbed into my shirt. "I would  _never_  want you dead…" he cried as I hugged him closer. "You still have to meet with Swan properly and… explain so much and… come over at least and…"

As he took a breath to continue I placed my finger on his lips which trembled as he cried still.

And then I did something I wanted to do so much for almost seven years and leaned down to kiss him.

I could care less for the Death Eaters who were at the Ministry at that moment.

I could care less that we were in the middle of the hospital's corridor and quite a few people were looking at us…

Even the salty taste of his lips I could care less for… for they tasted like the sweets of the highest quality at that moment. Especially as I felt him respond to me, moaning softly when my tongue invaded his mouth through his partially open lips.

Sweet indeed…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *"Gelidae Acus" literally means "Icy pins"
> 
> **"Tardus Dolor" means "Slow pain" (suggestion from Ritsuki Yonsago), "Dolor" aside from "pain", can also be translated along the lines of "anguish", which (according to KT) works well in the context of Cygnus' physical pain/Harry and Draco's mental anguish. (This had been the only spell said right (-v-'))
> 
> ***"Serpentum Oratorem Scruta" literally means "Search for a speaker of serpents"
> 
> My wholehearted gratitude goes to KiyoshiTanaka, who corrected my faulty Latin, and supplied better translations for the spells, as well as explanations for the mistakes, which was way more than I'd have expected to get, THANK YOU!!!!!


	7. How Much Can Love Change Someone's Life?

(Harry's POV)

 _Had anyone tried to hurt me, I would bear it_ … _However no one should ever mess with me by hurting those I hold dear… For I'd make sure that an excruciating punishment comes their way._

…

(Third Person's POV)

The news of the Death Eaters Carrows actually getting the Dementor's kiss this time around were met with relief. At least  _some_  justice still was in the world. Not that Harry would admit that  _maybe_  he had something to do with that fact. One of the only two times he left the hospital since Cygnus admittance has been to make a stop by Kingsley's office. This current Minister was the one Harry liked the best of all of the Ministers for he knew that Kingsley would continue to do good for the wizarding community in Britain… unlike most of his predecessors who had that title during his life.

It however was not Kingsley who Harry wanted to sway in their judgement by his appearance. It was all of those who were foolish enough to think that if they tried to somehow try to help Carrows and the rest of the men involved that Harry would just let it pass by. Not this time. Not  _ever._  Not to mention that an assault of a child was one of the heaviest crimes in the wizarding world - aside from actual murders - for children were held precious, there being so little of them. It was quite common for in the wizarding community to only have one child and it meant all the more if that one child was hurt in some way. Like that if someone spoke up and tried to defend the assaulters there would be a heightened possibility of the spokesperson to have some Dark allegiances.

Not all the bad blood has been eradicated from the Ministry still.

The verdict was made only a few days after the Carrows and the other men involved in the kidnapping were caught. During all that time Cygnus stayed in Saint Mungo's and was yet to show a sign of waking, it worrying both of his parents greatly.

That day fate itself must have felt generous though and late into the afternoon the green eyes of the child shown themselves to the world from behind the long eyelashes.

It was not a shock by all means when the child went into a panic attack at first, he however was soon calmed as Harry took him into his arms and started rocking him. If not for the situation which brought it about it would be a picture of a perfect bond between a child and their mother. Which it of course was, however no need to take a photo of it in a hospital, right?

…

"Is daddy going to live with us now?" Cygnus asked innocently after he was checked all over by one of the medi-witches who was alerted immediately after the boy woke up. The fair-haired child by no means missed that even though both his parents looked worn out and exhausted they now stood next to each other with an ease… which was not something Harry would do before if the times he woke up sometimes, crying over the blonde man, were anything to go by.

Harry only blushed as he nodded to the child, sending a shy look in Draco's way to which he got a teasing smirk, it was sometime during that non-verbal communication that Draco intertwined his fingers with Harry's and the emerald eyed wizard blushed even more once he realized it.

To that both of the blondes in the room laughed only.

…

Once Cygnus fell asleep once again Harry sat next to his bed, running his hand through the blonde hair of the boy.

"He _is_  going to be okay, right?" he asked silently, directing the question to the only other person in the room.

"The medi-witch said that there might be some after effects of the curses used on him… some of them being Dark and all that. She however also said that if we follow all the check-ups the potion prescriptions and anything else said that he might come out of it almost as if nothing ever happened." Draco answered as he came closer and placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, it easing the tension in them a bit.

"Almost?" Harry could not help but ask as he held his little boy's hand.

"Some of the scars they will not be able to take away fully… The Dark magic has too much of an engraving effect… Most of them were accomplished by a "usual" slashing curse though… those _can_  be removed completely. And then there are nightmares… He'll probably have to live with them for some time, all of those who go through something like that do."

"Yeah, I know." Harry sighed. "I can help him with these…" he said, then turned to Draco who looked at him questioning. " _We_  can help him… right?"

"Always."

…

(Draco's POV)

As I looked at Harry who fell asleep in his chair I could not help but sadden. What did he and Cygnus have to go through in the last six years, seven in Harry's case, I could not even imagine… For Harry I've been a source for quite a few of his insecurities and I knew it would take Harry some time to get over all of them even if the whole start of this disaster we cleared up _finally_.

_. . ._

_"What will become of **us**?" Harry asked as the two of us separated from a kiss that has been long since overdue in its timing. "Will you just leave again?" he whispered and I could already see more of his tears threaten to fall._

_"I'm **not**  going to leave…" I said sighing as I looked around finding too many to people to be to my liking around. "Come with me…" I said taking his hand. "We have some explaining to do first."_

_"Huh?"_

_"Just come…" I sighed, turning to look into his eyes which were filled with confusion. "Please…"_

_I would not be surprised if he refused to come with me, after all of the heartbreaking experience I've put him through, however I wanted him to at least understand my part in all of that first. I hoped that **maybe**  if there was a chance given I could make it all up to him and to Cygnus._

_It was my luck that Harry has always been a gentle person and as he came closer to me, still as confused as before, I could not help but feel more of that silly hope of mine surface._

_"Where to?"_

_. . ._

_As we walked through the Manor I talked._

_I tried to explain what happened that morning… and about the pug-faced woman who was lucky to live over the ocean._

_I spoke of the time which followed that morning and which I spent without memories of it…_

_I told him all I could think of about all the years which I spent searching for him… It being as fruitless as it turned out to be._

_Harry only listened silently, only every now and then asking a question. It was however the last of his questions that seemed to have the most importance to him._

_"How did you find out then?"_

_It was needless to ask what he meant by that, for it was quite an obvious one… Find out about him, about Cygnus…_

_"You have to see something…" I said in the end as I made a turn which lead us to a door I opened more than often during the last few days. The door which lead to a corridor, on end of which was a tapestry, which all but caused all of this._

_Harry looked confused when we stood in front of the blank tapestry, something I could not hold against him, for I was sure that aside from the Black's tapestry in the Grimmauld place where we often spent time during the Order's meetings he has not seen one. Not to mention that the Black tapestry was not run by magic._

_I extended my hand to the blank cloth and as I infused the magic into it names began to appear._

_As it neared the present line Harry held his breath as he realized just who is sure to appear at the very end… The youngest of the Malfoys, the one who still slept in the Saint Mungo's… and indeed he did. It shocked Harry so much to realize just what he was looking at that he even overlooked his own presence on the tapestry, which I had to point out to him._

_"Why is the joining line different?" he asked as he traced the swirling emerald line between our names, there only being two, maybe three of the similar outlook on the whole tapestry._

_"Because it means something different from the marriage line…" I started explaining, as I pointed to the straight line with a golden ring in the middle which joined the names of my parents. A ring our line lacked._

_'Maybe there could be one? In the future?' I could not help but ask myself. I however quickly pushed those thoughts aside for Harry started talking again._

_" **How** is it different?" Harry asked as he looked at the line rather than the two people joined by it, only looking briefly at the face of my mother who smiled at him._

_"It's a line which symbolises Soul Bonding…" I said quietly, not knowing what reaction to expect._

_His eyes widened and his jaw slackened apparently as his mouth opened a bit. Only when he snapped back to reality did he actually speak._

_"S-Soul Bond?" he asked silently as he absent-mindedly traced the swirling line which extended to Cygnus who smiled brightly at Harry when he traced the line to him, caressing the portrait's cheek. "Really?"_

_I did know what answer he was expecting. What else could be said to that?_

_"I really did not think it would be that one…"_

_When Harry said that it was my turn to look confused._

_"When I had Cygnus…" he started, still keeping his eyes on the tapestry. "I tried to search what could have been the trigger for him to even be… created. Remy told me it was not exactly a common thing, even among the wizarding community because not all the couples who try can actually get the results, their magic not being enough most of the time. Or sometimes it is just enough for them to only have one child… Just as most wizarding couples do." Harry's voice softened a bit, probably thinking what it would be like if he had a sibling before his parents died. He then however quickly gathered himself together and continued._

_"When I searched I stumbled upon quite a few explanations, from potions which I could rule out immediately to creature blood in family… or even it being a specific genetic trait in the family line… There were quite a few possibilities, surprisingly… and then there was the Soul Bond… I did not believe it to be that one… Its rules seemed too far from the way we got together that night… and how we parted." he whispered, his eyes getting a glassy look._

_"Gosh, I hate this…" he said as he started rubbing his eyes._

_"What?"_

_"After I had Cygnus my emotional stability never quite returned to normal… It's not as bad as it was during the pregnancy, but still…" Harry admitted, still not looking at me stubbornly. "Madame Pomfrey said it might be due to the fact that I…"_

_"You what?"_

_"That I did not have Cygnus' other parent with me…" he sighed and let the tears run freely._

_"I'm sorry…" I mumbled into his hair as I hugged him closer to me, to which he surprisingly did not resist. "I should have been there."_

_As my hands were placed on the tapestry no longer the faces of the Malfoy family started disappearing one by one. Harry cared for that only a little however. He only looked at Cygnus who still smiled at him._

_"It could have been worse…" Harry started, however his voice died off. As I hugged him closer he got encouraged and continued. "He could have been born a squib… or… or even dead." The last part was whispered in a voice so silent that if I did not expect the words I would not hear them. They however were no less hurting even at that volume._

_"I should have been with you still… To prevent all that… To encourage you… To hold you when you cry over a shirt which you put on the wrong way… To make you smile over it… To help you to stand up when you have problems getting off the couch… To help you choose a name, not that I'm saying I don't like Cygnus… To massage your feet when they are getting swollen and hurt… I should have been there for all that…" I whispered into the crook of his neck where I buried my face, inhaling the scent I loved in deep breaths._

_"Even massaging my feet, really?" Harry laughed softly. I almost forgot just how perfect his laughter sounds. It's been so long since I heard it the last time._

_. . ._

_"Do you think that we can start over again?" I asked him as we returned to our son's room, not long after the last of portraits faded from the tapestry._

_"What would become of Cygnus then?"_

_"What about Cygnus?"_

_"If we were to start **all over**  again it would not include him, you know?" Harry whispered, not looking at me yet again._

_"Oh, Harry I did not mean it like that…" I started immediately. I could not even imagine a world where Cygnus was not. "Should we just try to… **continue**  from that night then?" I asked, caring less than little for the fact that I was destroying my perfect combing of my hair by my own hand which ran through them from the forehead until I gripped them at the back of the head._

_"I'll see about that…" Harry whispered, then turned his attention on Cygnus again. The tension which has built up in him has however eased just a tiny bit._

_I only hoped I was not raising my hopes too early._

_. . ._

It was only two days later that Harry actually admitted he wanted us to "continue" as he put it. And now we were together.  _Somehow_. It seemed too good to be true. I've dreamed of actually getting together with Harry for longer than I could even remember and now…

As I was engrossed in my inner musing Cygnus woke up.

He must have found looking at me funny for he did not even beep for the first few minutes after waking up. He then broke the silence by a word I never actually expected for someone to say when concerning my person… after what happened with Harry.

"Daddy?" he whispered as to not wake Harry up. When I however did not respond to it immediately, too taken aback, his voice got a mournful tone.

"Is it not okay for me to call you that?"  _that_  did bring me back to reality.

"Of  _course_  it is…" I approved immediately as I came a little closer. "It by all means is."

"Really?" his face it up as if it was Yule already. At my nod I could see in his eyes that all that he wanted to do was jump on the bed… that however has been forbidden for the time being. The way he bounced on the bed even so was kind of  _cute_  actually.

My father used to say. "Merlin save us if a Malfoy ever utters the word cute."

I somehow can't quite agree with that.

What else could I describe the boy who I had before my eyes with?

…

(Harry's POV)

I knew that I did not make a mistake when inviting Draco into my and Cygnus' lives. And all the days which followed were proving me right.

The first thing Draco did when Cygnus was allowed to leave the hospital was organizing a belated Birthday party for him. And all that was crowned by a mountain of gifts which he claimed had a few for each of the years he was not able to give Cygnus one.

It was on that party and whenever else I saw the two of them together that I could imagine it was like that from the very beginning, that there was no time apart between us… yet…

After the talk in hospital we did not really get anywhere with Draco. And it seemed to get worse and worse by each day.

He spent most of his free time with Cygnus, which was not something I could really complain about, and then we talked a lot… however that was it.

Except for few kisses every now and then there was no physical contact between us and it was driving me insane. I wanted to touch him just  _so **badly.**_

'Doesn't he feel it like that also? Am I wrong to interpret his intentions to "get together" like that? Or… Is he only doing this only so he'd get to Cygnus?' hearing myself doubt Draco like that I however quickly stopped that trail of thought. There was no way Draco would do that.

It however did not make the need for him diminish any less.

…

(Draco's POV)

I was driving myself insane.

I was pretty sure of it.

It was one thing to hold myself back, however I've overdone it and I was hurting Harry by it. I could see it, I'd have to be blind not to. Yet I did not know how to fix it, because once I held myself away from Harry I did not know how to get closer to him again without overdoing it the other way around.

And so I tried again. Starting from the talks. I had to get myself out of the dump I've thrown myself into with my own stupidity.

…

(Third Person's POV)

"How did your and most of Weasleys - know-it all included now - ways part?" Draco asked during one of the talks he had with Harry. The topic caught Harry quite off guard however he was not opposed to share the truth with Draco. He was all but sharing his soul with the man through the Soul Bond, he wanted to share his  _everything_  with Draco… and he could as well start from sharing his part of what was happening with him during the years they were forced by circumstances to spend apart.

"It was because of Cygnus… I even slipped out of my self-induced ignorance of the world for them and yet…" at Draco's curious look he only shook his head… "Some other time…" he then stood up and looked around, confusing Draco even more. The question he asked however more than explained what he was about to do.

"Do you have a Pensieve?"

_. . ._

_"You wanted to speak to us?" Hermione Granger in the memory asked as soon as she appeared once the memory formed. Next to her stood a memory image of Ronald Weasley._

_The memory was situated in the Lupin house where Harry had been staying at that time for it has been only the day before the day in the memory that Harry got to know about there even being some Potter Manor for him to inherit… and he was not settled there yet._

_Harry sat on a couch in the living room and looked at his long-time friends. When he sent them a message he was not sure what he was going to say to them… and neither did he know when they were standing right before him._

_"Yes I did…" Harry sighed as he rubbed his stomach subconsciously. He was almost five months along and his baby has been announcing its presence by moving around lately. **He**_ _was announcing his presence. Madame Pomfrey told him it was a boy._

_"Uhm… Harry?" Hermione asked, getting Harry's attention back on her. The girl did not miss the motion of Harry's hand… and was confused by it._

_"Yeah mate why call us? It surely did not seem like invitation for a tea." Ron rambled, causing Hermione's analysing trail of thoughts to break momentarily. It however was not needed again. For Harry finally gathered his courage._

_"I called you because I have important news to share with you." Harry started slowly standing up. The bulge of his stomach became clearly visible when he stood at his full height… which was not much._

_At that two pairs of eyes widened and waited for explanation. There was however also a pair of silver-gray eyes which were observing the scene also. Only these eyes were not a part of the actual memory._

_Draco was happy that at least like this he saw how Harry looked, rounded with their child beautifully. Somehow seeing Harry like that Draco could not help but want to see Harry in that beautiful state again. Before he could however further that thought he was brought back by memory-Harry's near-whisper._

_"I'm pregnant."_

_The announcement has been a silent one, however in the silence of the room it might as well have been a shout._

_Ron stared at him his mouth hanging agape. Hermione seemed shocked also, hers however was more of a "How could I not analyse it coming?" one._ _"That's great news Harry." the girl said, being the first one to get back on usual brain waves. "Who's the father?" she asked, then reconsidered. "The **other**  father?"_

_"Now that's something I'd want to know…" Ron agreed looking at Harry. However Harry only sighed._

_"I think we should go somewhere else for that conversation." he said and grabbed both his friends by their hands… and apparated._

_. . ._

_The Potter manor was pretty bare of emotion still for there has not been time yet to add personal touch to it… It seemed as an abondoned place for most part… except for the room the three landed in. The nursery Harry took so much pride in decorating himself._

_"Slytherin green?" Ron asked in disgust looking around the nursery "Is there something you're not telling us Harry?"_

_"My baby's father is a Slytherin." Harry admitted nonchalantly, **not**  pleased with Ron's lack of politeness in his home._

_"SLYTHERIN! Harry! How could you? The next thing you'll be saying is that the father is Malfoy himself!" Ron yelled, his cheeks getting the colour of his hair as his anger has risen._

_"And what will you do if he is, Ron?" Harry asked, sounding way calmer than he has felt at that moment._

_"Then I don't want to know you anymore!" Ron screamed, breathing heavily as he stared at Harry, waiting for Harry to deny the last part of what he said. However when that did not come his anger rose even more._

_"You TRAITOR!" he screamed and then apparated away._

_And Hermione who was silent up till then looked helplessly between the spot where Ron was up till then and Harry._

_Right, left, right, left, right, left, right - **sigh**  - left._

_"I'm sorry Harry." she whispered, then made an attempt to smile. "Congratulations."_ _…and once saying that she apparated away also._

_. . ._

"Hermione simply followed him in his beliefs in the end… one would think that years of hardships together would mean more to her… to  _both_  of them." Harry started explaining after they emerged from the memory. It still stung a little bit when he thought of his ex-friends, however it was long since the hurt he felt at first.

"Is that why you Obliviated them?"

Harry's head snapped to blonde in alarm.

"I'm not judging you for that Harry… I'd do something similar probably… I just wanted to know…"

"It was… I coud not stand them badmouthing my precious baby which has not even been born at that time… and you also… not to mention that Ron sent me an exploding letter which nearly caused me to miscarry about a week after that memory… I'd have killed him if I miscarried…" Harry gritted his teeth.

"I'd join for sure."

"I don't doubt that… It's just… I… I couldn't simply throw away everything we've done together… and so, instead of giving him to the Aurors, which I would have a full right to do, I simply made both of them forget… it's easier on both parties…" Harry finished his explanation.

"Both parties? Really?" Draco asked raising his eyebrow. He was quite sure that  _was not_  true.

"Okay, so maybe not, but I still think it's better like this…" Harry sighed.

"Why?"

"Ron would never be able to accept Cygnus because of the fact that you're his father… Even when he'd get over his initial anger.  _That_  is something _I_  would never be able to get over if I was to keep them in my life somehow… As I said, it's better on both parties… I do believe so." Harry sighed as he sat on the nearest chair in his field of sight.

"I'm glad you showed me this." Draco admitted as he dragged another chair from a corner of the room to sit opposite to Harry, taking Harry's hands into his own.

"Why?"

"Because it makes me understand it better. Understand  _you_  better. You and everything that happened while I did not have a chance to keep my eyes on you." Draco said, sliding over Harry's knuckles with his longer slender fingers gently. "Not to mention you looked really beautiful like that." he added, kissing the hand he brought to his lips.

"Bullshit, I looked preposterous."

"My Harry? Preposterous?  _Never."_  Draco laughed as he leaned closer to Harry. "You're never anything less than gorgeous. Usually more though." he whispered, his breath ghosting over Harry's lips. "And pregnancy suited you." he smiled as he placed a gentle kiss on the pouty lips before him.

"You're saying nonsense." Harry blushed, his eyes averting a bit from the handsome face which was only mere inch or two away from his. The blonde in front of him however did not seem to plan letting him do that as he caught Harry's face in his palms, brushing Harry's cheekbones with feather-light touches.

"Harry." Draco said, placing another kiss on Harry's lips. "Look at me love."

At the word "love" Harry's gaze returned, the emerald-green eyes locking with the silver-gray ones.

"We can make this work." Draco whispered. "I'm sure we can. We will be a great family. With lots of love and lots and lots of happiness."

Harry could only laugh softly at the determination in the blonde's face and at the spectrum of emotions which played on the face some thought a mask.

Affection. Determination. Happiness. Hope.  _Love._

Who would Harry have to be to even think of to setting aside all that?

…

(Harry's POV)

Christmas, or Yule as which a Pureblood like Draco knew it, came only few days after Cygnus's belated birthday party. And it appeared they had the same rule as birthday about gifts on it. Thus it came to be that on the Christmas-slash-Yule morning Cygnus was greeted by a pile of gifts which did not leave a tiny space under the tree unoccupied.

"You really don't know when to stop, do you?" I had to stifle a laugh when I saw Cygnus jumping before the tree, as he took in the sheer amount of the gifts.

"I guess…" Draco admitted, shrugging his shoulders. It was not as if he wanted to give our son any less apparently.

"He'll become spoiled like this." I only sighed in exasperation as I sat down, looking at Cygnus who started to divide gifts which were for him and those for me and Draco into piles. Cygnus' pile was without doubt the biggest.

"Not really, you've raised him good." Draco smiled as Cygnus shook a gift next to his ear to try to guess what was inside. He however was soon again separating the remaining gifts into piles.

"Thank you…" I smiled back, feeling my cheeks redden a bit.

"I can't guarantee how he'll like most of the gifts though. I still don't know him that much." Draco saddened a bit.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you've chosen well. He did not complain about even one of your birthday gifts." I assured Draco. It was true. Most of the gifts from Draco I wouldn't have chosen better myself. And the rest I simply wouldn't have the imagination to choose.

"You'll have to tell me more. I ran out of ideas." he said in mock exhaustion, sagging into his chair dramatically. He really should have chosen acting as his occupation of choice or something.

"Well, you drama queen… What to tell you about him that you don't know still…" I said, thinking about what Draco knew already from the few days spent together.

"I think it's pretty obvious that he likes green the most." I started, pointing at the boy who sat on the carpet in his green pajamas with dragons tearing into the green-wrapped gifts first. Something I always found irresistibly cute and was reason I wrapped most of the gifts in green paper. Silver being the second choice. "I think we might have a small Slytherin on our hands." I grinned.

"I think I will live with that." Draco laughed as he opened one of his gifts also. It was a photo-album I put together from pictures of Cygnus I had, it being only about quarter-way done, so it could chronologically continue as he grew older.

The look on Draco's face was priceless. He looked so awed that it was sweet. I got the idea to do it after we were in my memories. Draco seemed sad over it, and it was later that evening that I realized what was it that he was sad about. Like this he had at least a picture of what it was like, the fact that wizarding photos move helping also.

Once Draco went through the album he returned to one page and looked at it with a sad smile. When I went closer I was not surprised to find out which picture it was. A picture of me and Cygnus, the day he was born. A picture Remy took after an agonizing twelve-hour long labour and I wanted to kill him for a moment after it was taken, only then realising the  _click_  sound of a camera. Looking at it however I couldn't have been more grateful at that moment.

"What is it?" Cygnus asked as he noticed that we were not paying much attention to the gifts at the moment aside from the one Draco held. "Is that me?" the curiosity in his voice was loveable.

"Yes." I said smiling, tracing the cheek of the baby I was holding on the photo, smiling, holding it a bit tighter to me every now and then. Even as exhausted as I was back then I was happy. I only prayed Draco could have been there.

'Maybe sometime later?' my own thoughts surprised me and caused me to blush. It thankfully enough was not noticed as Draco still held the album and he and Cygnus looked at it.

"How about we return to the gifts?" I suggested, seeing how both of the blondes got lost in the pages of the album.

"Yes!" Cygnus squealed, his interest in album fading for that moment. Draco however held it closer to him, as he turned to me.

"Thank you."

As I leaned closer and placed a kiss on his mouth I knew I couldn't have chosen better.

"You're welcome."

…

(Third Person's POV)

It was later that day that the matter of Cygnus' likes and dislikes appeared again.

"I think he'd have aptitude for potions. If he thinks it anything like cooking, that is. I let him help sometimes…" Harry said as he prepared lunch, Draco sitting at the kitchen table, speaking to him.

"You make him cook?" Draco asked shocked.

"Don't even go there Draco, there is a  _wast_  difference between  _make_  someone cook and  _let_  someone cook. By letting him cook,  _allowing_  him to help me I certainly don't overstep something. Not to mention that I don't make him cook  _all_  of the meals, burn his hands when he makes something wrong or not let him eat what he himself made!" Harry ranted his voice increasing on volume with every word, his eyes getting on the coldness of steel.

It was sometime around "burn" that Draco got up from his seat and came to wrap his arms around Harry's shivering form.

"I'm sorry you even thought I insinuated something like that. You had it rough, didn't you?" he whispered, his voice having a calming effect on Harry. It however also made him think of all the fears which he had in the time he spent alone.

"I'm sorry it's just… I… I was so scared that I'd end up like them when caring for him… I did not really have anyone to learn that from. I'm so glad Remy was there for us." Harry sniffled as he finished the lunch. It however was not yet to be eaten as Draco turned Harry around to look him in the eye.

"Shush…" Draco whispered as he held Harry's face in his hands, kissing the droplets of tears away. "You've done a great job. There's no way you'd be like that, you're too sweet for that."

Such a gentle ministration of love however only made Harry cry harder.

"I love you…" he cried as Draco rested his forehead against his.

When an answer did not come immediately he was about to retreat, however the blonde did not let his emerald-eyed lover do that and held his face in his palms still.

"I know…" he whispered as he leaned down to kiss Harry yet again. "I love you too…"

Harry looked wide-eyed at Draco for a moment then started crying even harder. It took Draco some time to calm his distressed lover, especially as he did not know what brought the last wave of tears to existence.

"I… I…" Harry started stuttering out, wanting full well to ease the worry in Draco's eyes. It however was a feat easier said then accomplished. "I've waited so long to hear that." he whispered in the end.

As Draco looked into the glassy emeralds he could not help but think of Harry's confession of that fateful night… and feel remorse.

_. . ._

_It was such a beautiful feeling that Harry started crying. As the tears escaped his eyes however they were soon kissed away in a gentle manner by the blonde._

_"I love you…" Harry whispered in between the tears, not able to contain his "secret" given the sheer emotions roaming through his body._

_As a response Draco smiled, albeit the shock was seen a bit through the expression. He however then continued in loving Harry thoroughly…_

_. . ._

Draco thought of his own young stupid self. Why did he think it a good idea to say his own part of that confession later? If he did not, they may have been together the whole time.

_. . ._

_'Might as well bring some breakfast here…' Draco thought to himself as he emerged from the bathroom, all refreshed and once pulling clothes on also ready to go outside._

_Looking at Harry and the way he breathed, a stable pattern, he expected him not to wake up for at least half an hour. Not being sure if that was true however_ _he left a note on the bed-side table, informing Harry to be coming back in a while and for him not to leave the room if possible._

_Then, with a soft kiss on those pouty, sweet, **delicious**  lips, muttering a soft "Love you, too…" in a response to the confession he got just few hours earlier, he left, already planning to say the same words to the conscious Harry also, once he returns with the breakfast._

_. . ._

"I'm sorry…" the blonde said as he placed yet another of kisses on Harry's eye-lids. "I'm sorry for making you wait for so long."

As Harry looked into Draco's eyes he knew that the blonde meant just that, and he knew that somehow he could not have wished for any gift better than the love he saw in those silver-gray eyes.

"You're forgiven…" he whispered as he pressed his lips to Draco's in a quick motion. "Just… don't leave, will you?"

"Never."

…

After the Christmas the New Years' came, and after them the Valentine's day came.

It was not a day Harry has ever celebrated before, for he never had anyone to do so with… Not to mention that at school he had to spend most of the day hidden, hoping to escape the income of love potions and spells the amount of which increased yearly at the day dedicated to love.

The year Harry was to turn twenty-five however was different. And Harry - though nervous about that decision of his - knew exactly just how did he want to spend that day.

He and Draco had not gotten past kissing after the Christmas anyway, for they wanted to make Cygnus feel the warmth of family now that they could, especially after they passed the lasting stage of awkwardness that day.

The improvement was that they slept in one bed, deciding so once they moved together. However they usually were so exhausted from the day that except for some touches and cuddling together in sleep they did not get very far before falling asleep.

And Harry wanted to change that.

He knew Draco was holding back for his sake in that matter however Harry felt  _more_  than ready to move their relationship to that level… He wanted to feel Draco like that again… Especially knowing that he won't wake to an empty bed once he does allow it to happen.

And so he made a few preparations.

…

(Draco's POV)

I was surprised when I came home and saw no Cygnus around. He usually was the first one to appear as soon as I opened the door.

For one second I was overrun with fear that something has happened gain, however I was soon soothed by a gentle wave of calmness which came from Harry who has just appeared.

"He's with Moony and company." he smiled, knowing full-well what I've been worrying about.

"What's the occasion?" I asked, a bit confused. It was not like Harry to send Cygnus away when we had chance to spend some time together like this. Especially after Harry and Cygnus moved to Malfoy manor with me, something I was infinitely thankful for. It felt so empty here before the two of them came. And I knew I would have problems parting with the place I spent my whole life in, despite all the bad memories tied to it. His decision to let the Lupin family use the Potter Manor I could however only encourage.

"Just a surprise I prepared." he smiled mysteriously, though I could feel an underlying nervousness in his mind. "Now would you care to join me for lunch?"

"You cooked for me?" I asked immediately. I've never tasted anything better than Harry's cooking, every single dish was a fairytale of its own.

"Of course, you doubted that even for a second?" he laughed as he took my coat from me and sent it away with a flick of hand.

"Just asking. One always likes to know if their dish is cooked by someone as pleasant to look at." I smiled back at him, his cheeks colouring with a sweet shade of pink.

"Flattery…" he only mumbled as he took the arm I offered to him, taking a part of a couple on an outing for dinner. Only it was inside.

"I'm only saying truth." I said as I was led by Harry to one of the smaller rooms, where a dinner was waiting, looking like something made by professionals.

"If you think so."

…

As we ate the dessert I could feel Harry's nervousness increase for some reason. I however knew that I'll get to know the reason for it anyway and so I stayed silent.

Once the dishes disappeared to be washed Harry stood up, taking me by hand.

"Come with me." he said in a near-whisper.

"There's more to this?" I asked, feeling the slight shaking of Harry's hands.

"The main course of the day." Harry said only as he smiled, albeit nervously.

I decided not to question that and let myself be led by him. I was increasing on questions as I recognized the route as the one to the room we shared. I did not know what I was expecting, however what I saw when Harry opened the door has exceeded any and all images I could have made of it.

…

(Third Person's POV)

Needless to say Draco was quite taken aback with the candle-lit room which has been cleaned to be without a speck… that and he noticed the tube which he could guess was lube of sorts lying innocently on the bed-side table.

"You sure you don't want to wait a bit longer?" Draco asked hesitantly. Harry however shook his head only.

"I've waited so long already." Harry whispered, small droplets of tears rushing down his cheeks. It did not matter to him how _pathetic_  - he would say - he must have looked like at that moment, even if any other time he would have cursed his hormonal imbalance which was caused by the pregnancy  _loudly…_  At that moment he however felt content enough for him not to concern himself with the tears. Whenever he was with Draco he felt almost  _complete_. And he wanted to bring that contentment to its fullest.

"I want you Draco, all of you… It's been so long already." Harry smiled gently leaning up to kiss the blonde who held his heart. Draco smiled against Harry's lips before he wrapped his arms around younger half of his soul. And soon enough as he kissed Harry into a dream-like state he guided the two of them to their bed, both of them losing their clothing along the way, placing Harry on the blankets gently on the end of the clothes trail.

"You sure you want this?" Draco asked as he leant over Harry's body, panting as his body tried to balance the lack of oxygen from their make-out session. Not that Harry's breathing was any less ragged.

"I'm not going to regret this…" Harry said as he pulled Draco towards him. "I'm more than ready to re-live that part of our bonding." at that Draco smiled and kissed Harry long and sweet. His hands were however going their wicked way down Harry's body, tracing every and each curve Harry's body had, later placing feather-light kisses on his skin every now and then. Sooner than he would think he had Harry writhing underneath him gasping for the much-needed air. With every kiss, touch or a bite Harry only wanted more,  _needed_  more and so the only sounds in the room were Harry's moans of delight and pleasure and Draco's low hums of approval.

When Draco started preparing Harry with the lube provided the black-haired boy gasped loudly. It truly has been long since he felt something like that the last time. As Draco eased Harry's discomfort with his kisses he did so again and again, until Harry was not thinking of the finger which was invading his body. He then tensed when second finger joined the first, but still he concentrated on the passionate kisses which gave him an approved distraction. As Draco stretched Harry with his two fingers, scissoring them inside Harry's body he started to trace gentle bites down Harry's neck, something of which Harry approved with a drawn out moan. Soon a third finger had been added and after ridding Harry of discomfort that has caused Draco removed his fingers to which Harry let out a sound of disapproval. Draco however only chuckled heartily at that and added lubrication to his hand before slickening up his own shaft. He then lined himself up and slowly started pushing into Harry's readied entrance. Harry gasped as Draco pushed himself through the ring of the tight muscles which had not been stretched so far for so,  _so_  long and slipped fully into the tight heat of Harry's body.

"Harry…" Draco only groaned as he held himself completely still to allow Harry to adjust to him. Even though Harry felt slight pain from the penetration it was in his mind pushed aside to give way for somehow possessive, full-filling feeling of  _finally_  having Draco inside him again. He wrapped his arms and legs around Draco's neck and waist, clenching his muscles tentatively for which he got a groan of a complete approval from Draco and soon also a deep thrust into Harry's body causing them both to gasp at the feeling it provided.

Draco seemed in no rush as he set up a slow, steady rhythm, it driving Harry into the complete depths of pleasure, his sweet spot brushed by those motions on purpose. The slow, loving torture continued, bodies getting sweatier, the pants, the moans and the sound of flesh slapping against flesh which were filling the room getting louder, the temperature rising… and the blonde found himself thrusting harder, faster and more desperately at the noises Harry made, feeling himself nearing the edge more and more at each of them. As Draco hit Harry's prostate dead-on the emerald-eyed mess of feelings called Harry threw his head back as his voice came out in a needy wail, the short nails digging half-moons into Draco's flesh. Draco then thrust against that spot, enjoying the gasping pleas for more which came from Harry at each of them. As he started thrusting deeper, Harry's body easily matched the set pattern as they started moving together desperately and hungrily, their lips meeting in passionate kisses. It did not take much more time after that and Draco soon felt Harry's muscles tighten around him, Harry throwing his head back as he screamed Draco's name his orgasm washing over him in a curtain of white light. And it took Draco only the feeling of Harry's walls tightening around him, Harry's voice filled with need and love and he soon reached his orgasm as well. His hips moved shallowly as he emptied himself into Harry before collapsing on top of him.

They then both lay trying to steady their breaths, clinging tightly to each other, sweaty bodies cooling down as the sweet post-coital bliss was enveloping them. When they finally caught their breaths Draco rolled away from Harry and pulled him into his side. They lay silently just absorbing the warmth from each other's bodies and enjoying the sweet afterglow, Harry shifting his position only so he could lay his head on Draco's chest and listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Like that they lay for a while, in silence, just looking at the flickering flames of candles around the room.

"We might have just made a sibling for Cygnus, you know?" Harry whispered. He was more than pleased that he did not feel any increase in the speed of heartbeat he listened to when he said that.

"Would that be so bad?" Draco asked as he rubbed his fingers up and down Harry's spine.

"I would like it." Harry mumbled. "I think he would not mind getting a brother or sister… What about you?" Harry asked, uncertain a bit.

"Well… I think I could see this place livening up with a few more hyperactive imps. It would make father roll in his grave for sure." Draco laughed, the sound resounding in his chest. How Harry loved that sound.

"Then I guess it's fine." Harry whispered as he cuddled into Draco's warm flesh. He however soon found himself turned around and facing a blonde who was looking at him with a suggestive smile spread across his lips.

"It's not fine, my dearest." he said as he leaned closer to place a kiss on Harry's lips.

"Why?" Harry asked, confused. Draco did not sound angry or anything to him, nor did he feel any negative emotion underlying in Draco's mind. Or was he wrong? He after all only understood how that worked recently.

"It's  _better_  then fine." Draco said as he bit Harry's ear softly before whispering into it. "It means we can continue this for the sake of simply it."

"Draco!" Harry blushed, thinking of some way to protest. Whatever he might have wanted to say however has been cut off by yet another of Draco's kisses.

"No complaints Harry, love." he said, nuzzling the crook of Harry's neck, then biting down on the collar-bone gently. "We both know you want it anyway."

Harry could not help but laugh softly at that, because even if there was some childishness in the statement it was an undeniable proof that Draco had him read through and through.

"No more complaints?" Draco asked smiling as he kissed a trail from Harry's ear to his collar-bone. When he received a shake of head from his smiling partner he could only smile also.

"Great," he said. "because we still have some baby-making to do… just in case." he said as his hands parted Harry's legs, caressing the sensitive inner-thighs teasingly. He was more than enjoying the sweet moans he was drawing out of Harry when he did that.

"Yes…" Harry could only breath out as he was soon invaded sweetly yet again. "More…"

"As you wish, my love…"

…

(Harry's POV)

_Had anyone told me I wouldn't have believed…_ _that our story is one of those to have a happy ending._

…

(Third Person's POV)

**_Epilogue:_ **

**12 years later**

"Mum, we're going to be late like this…" Cygnus Malfoy sighed as he watched his mother waddle down the Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. He chose to travel in train with his to-be-First-Year brother to get to Hogwarts for his first year of apprenticing under Filius Flitwick in Charms. The fact that he could miss it the mother he addressed however was not really keen on thinking about and only roasted Cygnus with his stare.

"You be good Cygnus Draconis or I'll be sure to tell whatever wife or husband you get for yourself to make you drink some sympathy potion when she or he is pregnant… or something." Harry said his eyes narrowing as one Draco Malfoy came to the rescue of his son who has grown to be almost a spitting image of him in his younger years, just as Harry always said he would.

"Harry, dearest, let's not make him a married man yet, okay? You'll cry on his wedding anyway." Draco said as he hugged his husband, resting his hands on the protruding belly which was hindering the said husband's movements so.

"Mummy, is Cygni getting married?" a child by Harry's side asked wide-eyed.

"No Ankaa, sweetheart, he is not getting married, yet…" Harry responded smiling at the seven-year-old girl who almost looked like a smaller, female version of himself, except for her higher cheekbones and her eyes being a lighter shade of green, which had to be hidden behind glasses partly for she inherited Harry's bad eye-sight. Even as small as she was however, she had a fiery temper at times. Just like the phoenix of which "Ankaa" was the brightest star.

"What will I do when he does?" Harry panicked, another of pregnancy-induced hormonal outbursts hitting him.

"We'll be there for him of course." Draco laughed, burying his nose in the crook of Harry's neck. "Now let's see Corvi out, okay?"

"Finally someone remembered I'm here." an eleven-year-old boy pouted. His dark colouring was doing pride to his name.  _[Corvus = crow]_  Corvus had his mother's black hair and a slight tan from summer. However looking at his sharply carved facial structure and the light silver-gray eyes he inherited from his father there was no denying the boy was indeed a Malfoy.

"Corvus my baby. You're leaving me also?" Harry cried as he hugged his son, who only sighed, patting his mother's back. He could only imagine what Harry will do next year when his younger friend Jamie Lupin will be leaving also.

"Don't worry mum, I'll be back on Yule. You have Ankaa and Sirius with Severus to look after." he said, it easing his mother's hysteria… a bit.

"I still think their namesakes curse us from afterlife for this." Draco chuckled, as he looked down at the little twin boys of which one was attached to his robes with one hand, the other hand holding the other twin's hand.

"They do look like them though." Harry said his lips curling into a pout. Draco could not deny that. The black-haired Severus with Malfoy-sharp features and Sirius with Harry's rounder features and for whom the gene-mix resulted in brown hair indeed resembled their namesakes and the parent's respective godfathers quite a bit. At least they had the very opposite relationship as the two did.

"We have to go!" Cygnus reminded pointing at the clock where the big hand has just overlapped its smaller counterpart, making it about six to eleven.

"But… but… two of my babies are leaving me now!" Harry wailed. Draco was suddenly reconsidering whether taking a nearly seven months along,  _hormonal_  Harry here was a good idea.

"Don't worry we'll see them soon." Draco said, making soothing circles on Harry's bulging stomach. "And Cygnus can and  _will_  visit us often,  _right?"_  Draco sent a look which said "don't you dare disagree" so clearly that no one would be able to disobey.

"Of course I will." he smiled, the corner of his mouth twitching under the intense stare of his father. "And if Headmaster allows it, I might even bring Corvi here with me sometimes… and especially when our little bro comes, right?"

"Yes!" Corvus exclaimed, jumping up and down, for it meant that he would see his parents sooner than in December… and the latest addition to their already-big family also.

"We really have to go though, you know?" Cygnus said, sadness over the temporary parting finally getting to him also as he came closer and hugged his shorter mother as tight as he could without hurting him and his tiny brother. "I'll miss you." he whispered, remembering times when it was just two of them. He however would not change the family he now had for anything. Not even if he had chance to not go through the pain which all but got his parents together and which still haunted him in dreams sometimes. On the surface only few scars remained.

"I'm going to miss you too, Swan." Harry sniffled, then turned to Corvus, hugging him for dear life. "And you too, baby Crow."

"See you later." the boy smiled as he and his brother boarded the train - where their father stuffed their baggage sometime during the gentle smothering of their mother - after they both gave a hug to their father also.

"Be good." Harry sniffled.

"Of course." they chorused together as the train started moving.

"And write home!"

"Sure thing!" they laughed and waved for the last time before disappearing into the train.

"And when will they come back?" Ankaa asked innocently as she waved until the train was not visible.

"Soon." Draco smiled, seeing that the twins who until then were also waving were now glued to him, again.

"Harry? Can we go now?" Draco asked his husband who was looking in the direction of where the Hogwarts Express has just disappeared in, his left hand placed on his belly and the right one tracing the wedding band on it. The same band which now circled the emerald swirling line of the Soul Bond on the Malfoy family tapestry. For more than eleven years already. Draco has asked Harry to marry him soon after Corvus was conceived, and they married less than a month after.

"Yes." Harry smiled as Draco placed his arm around his waist to pull him a little closer. He then took hand of the small Ankaa who smiled at him brightly.

"When I go to Hogwarts will little bro be here to see me off also?" she asked, placing her free hand on Harry's belly as they slowly walked to exit.

"Of course he will." Harry laughed, patting his belly.

"Scorpius will for sure come to see you off." Draco agreed, and then looked around to look at the twins who looked at him with big adoring eyes. "And these two imps also." he laughed.

"Sevy no imp." little brown-headed child pouted.

"Siri no imp too." the black-haired added.

That caused the two adults to laugh. They always found it adorable how the twins defended the other one first.

And like that the two stayed, forming a friendship no one would ever be able to break. Them being like the very opposite of the two dead men of the same names.

Ankaa truly was seen off by her by little brother once her time to attend Hogwarts came. Ankaa even was the first to be sorted to Ravenclaw, her brothers being Slytherins, and her parents couldn't be prouder of her. And Harry did cry when she left, as he always did with all his children he saw off be it before or after that…

Harry and Draco loved each other still, as they did the day they said their vows to each other, and even long,  _long_  before that. This love only increased on intensity with years and they remained the image of happy marriage for all of their children already born and those down the line to come.

Everyone was happy.

_All was well.*_

**... The End ...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * "All was well." = original last lines from Harry Potter, the last part is set in the exact time of the last book's epilogue
> 
> Done~ over ten thousand words as a parting gift for ya (Q.Q)/
> 
> I hope you liked (^v^)/


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